22. April 2012 07:40 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Symbio Wildlife Park 22. April 2012 07:40 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetsymbio wildlife parkShareToday we went to the Symbio Wildlife park together with some of our friends. They don't have a lot of animals in the park, but the ones they have a pretty cool and it is a good spot to get some nice animal photos (It was especially nice to see that they had polished the glass surrounding some animals). It was also really cool to have Aiden and Sammi feed some of the more friendly animals.
22. April 2012 05:44 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Luke and Alexsandra's wedding 22. April 2012 05:44 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetluke and alexandra s weddingShareToday Luke and Alexsandra was married. She is from Serbia so the wedding itself was a beautiful traditional Serbian Orthodox wedding in a small church in Alexandria. The church was very darkly lit and I was shooting using natural light trying to be as discreet as possible using my old Nikon D50 camera (still waiting for the new D800) but by some miracle I was able to capture the above photos (by setting it to my max 1600 ISO and underexpose 2 stops and then push and noise reduce in post...would have loved to have one more stop). Luke has some Scotish ancestry so ourside the church there was a guy playing the bag pipe. Afterwards the reception was in Drumoyne with about 250 guests invited. Lots of very loud Serbian music and traditional Serbian line dancing (Not sure what the correct name is).
16. April 2012 07:40 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Easter show and EQ 16. April 2012 07:40 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweeteaster show and eqShareSynday we took Dylan to the Easter show at Fox Studios. We had bought him a 5 hour pass as a reward for an assignment we gave him.Dylan tried a number of rides, but I think his favourite was a dodge'm'cars.While Dylan was queueing up we had a look around at the other entertainment.
15. April 2012 07:39 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments High Tea in Royal National Park 15. April 2012 07:39 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweethigh tea in royal national parkShareToday we went to High Tea in Audley in the Royal National Park 30 minutes drive from where we live. Kim had bought a 2 for 1 deal and decided to try it.Verdict was that is wasn't anything special and even with the special deal it was a bit over priced.Afterwards we decided to go rowing up through the creek.Aiden was very keen to get to play with the water which was difficult in the rowing boat (next time we will get a Canoe).Afterwards we let him play a bit on land before heading back.
8. April 2012 06:18 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Bora Bora Island Scenery 8. April 2012 06:18 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetbora bora island sceneryShareThe island itself is a beautiful place. I took a lot of photos of the lagoon and the beauty of Bora Bora....so many that it would be too many to have in the previous Bora Bora post. With the risk of creating a post full of Blue photos...I had to separate them out to prevent the other posts from getting too big. Here they are...I will let them speak for themselves...
6. April 2012 06:19 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Snorkeling with Sharks and Stingrays 6. April 2012 06:19 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetsnorkeling with sharks and stingraysShareOne of the days at Bora Bora we went with a boat around the lagoon to go snorkeling and have lunch on one of the Motu's (Islands). Along the way we went snorkeling in spots where we also could see sharks and stingrays. Our first spot was a snorkeling spot with lots of coral and different fish. I Even saw a big fat murray eel. Kim also had a bit of a snorkel in the clear blue water even though the water was deep and there was a slight current. Aiden was facinated by the fish and wanted to join mummy in the water to say hello to the fish'ies... After this we went to a more shallow spot on the reef with lots of reef sharks. Yes, that is me in the water with 12 sharks circling around me (and no safety net in place).These sharks would come swimming towards me and then turn around within a meters reach. Click here to see a video I uploaded to Facebook with the Sharks getting close After lunch we stopped to feed the Stingrays in the lagoon. They are fairly harmless and I was feeding them dead fish. While doing so I was bitten by one of them that mistook the camera I was holding in my other hand as a fish.
5. April 2012 06:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Bora Bora 5. April 2012 06:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetbora boraShare Bora Bora is a beautiful island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Kim and I had promised eachother that we one day we will go there. It is about an hours flight from Tahiti and along the way you pass a number of other Polynesian islands and atolls. When we landed we were met by the stunning blue lagoon and the very characteristic mountain which is an old extinct volcano. Aiden especially was mesmerised by the view going on the boat from the airport to our hotel. On arrival we were met by traditional Tahitian music and someone blowing a seashell. And Aiden immidiately got into the mocktails. Our hotel was on the main island itself and we had a small hut facing the lagoon and had a beautiful view every morning waking up. Every morning we had breakfast overlooking the lagoon where Aiden would stuff his face with fruits, bread and youghurt. We spent a lot of time at the small beach close to the hotel just swimming in the clear water of the lagoon. The locals were out on the lagoon showing off their skills. Aiden loved the calm clear water and the beach...it was a pleasant 27-28 degrees. Every time he saw water he would point at it and shout BoBo (Water)...and insist on going swimming. One evening I did a couple of sunset portraits. Aiden again insisted on going in the water. I also went for a swim after we finished the photos, which was absolutely magical as the light was surreal and the water was absolutely calm. Across the lagoon from the hotel we had a little island (Motu) with beautiful place to go snorkeling. First I went in the water and notices a small reef shark circling around the corals...being kinda shy. I mentioned it to Kim and as soon as she also spotted it later in the day she rushed out of the water (A couple of days later she had a similar experience with a large stingray at the beach). It was hard to leave all this beauty behind
4. April 2012 04:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Flowers of French Polynesia 4. April 2012 04:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetflowers of french polynesia Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal Blog Portfolio Packages Contact About Home 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aswan Dam 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetaswan damShareThe High Dam was built in the 1970s. It was higher and wider than the old Aswan Dam.At its highest point, the High Dam was 111m high, 3.8km long and 980m wide at the base. It was built with 3 times as many stones that was used to build Cheops' Pyramid.The High Dam is a high-security military area so no video cameras were allowed. Should the High Dam be destroyed, than most of Egypt will be under water and it would be a disaster for the country.Lake Nasser is a man-made lake to the south, created as a result of the building of the High Dam. Because of this lake, some great monuments, villages and many of the Nubian tribes had to be moved or they would have been submerged under water. I think much history has been lost to these waters. This temple had to moved onto higher ground after the High Dam was built. Created: Dec 2004Last Updated: 24-Jan-2005 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Alabaster Factory 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe alabaster factoryShareThis alabaster factory was one of Adam's commission-based stops. Alabaster is a cheaper type of marble - the corridors of the Mohammed Ali Mosque was made of this marble, as was the small sphinx statue in Memphis. It was also used for King TutAnkhAmun's canopic jars Created: Dec 2004Last Updated: 24-Jan-2005 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Streets of Luxor (cont....) 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetstreets of luxor contShare 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Rooftop 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe rooftopShare 14. November 2004 02:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Streets of Luxor 14. November 2004 02:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetstreets of luxorShare 14. November 2004 02:08 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Luxor 14. November 2004 02:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of luxorShare 14. November 2004 02:07 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another Part 3 14. November 2004 02:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to another part 3Share 14. November 2004 02:06 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another Part 2 14. November 2004 02:06 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to another part 2Share 14. November 2004 02:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another 14. November 2004 02:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to anotherShare 14. November 2004 02:02 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Tomb of Nobles 14. November 2004 02:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettomb of noblesShare << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts12...808182838485868788...9293Older posts SearchInclude comments in search Newsletter Get notified when a new post is published. Enter your e-mail Please enter an e-mail address Please enter a valid e-mail Thank you Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal Blog Portfolio Packages Contact About Home 29. November 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Struggling 29. November 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetI was struggling a lot this year, through a combination of things ranging from self worth, lack of sShareI was struggling a lot this year, through a combination of things ranging from self worth, lack of support, dealing with the boys, work and other things.Mid-year during the lockdown it hit hard. 7. April 2021 22:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Camping Glenworth Valley 7. April 2021 22:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetOver easter we went to Glenworth Valley for Camping. This location is about an hours drive north of ShareOver easter we went to Glenworth Valley for Camping. This location is about an hours drive north of Sydney in an easily accessible but beautiful little valley.It is private propoerty, so you have to book beforehand and it does get very busy. We were very lucky that we were located down at the end of the property where it was more quiet.In the evenings there were beautiful sunsets.In the morning it was a bit more misty in the valley.The owners also put on a great easter egg hunt for the children. There were hundreds of children with 20,000 chocolate eggs hidden in a field and there was an easter bunny riding a horse.We also spend time playing some ball sports. I'd brought a baseball bat and ball. Because we were four families, we had plenty of people to form two teams. It got very competitive and the bat took a bit of battering, so I had to go a buy a more solid wooden bat.In the evenings we had the normal campfire and baked dampers on sticks, marshmellows and baked potatoes in the fire.There are also lots of walks witin easy driving distance, including some walks with beautiful waterfalls.Also, people come to the valley for horse riding, so there are lots of horses in the surrounding paddocks.And wildlife such as Kookaburras!And going for a short stroll in the mornings was a beautiful experience with the mist and light changing.Because of lots of rain, the whole area had been flooded just weeks earlier. Where we were camping would have been a meter under water, but because of the river running through the area the water had fortunately receeded. 21. March 2021 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate 3rd Kyu 21. March 2021 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetI reached a significant milestone in karate this week. I graded for my 3rd Kyu (Brown belt) and at tShareI reached a significant milestone in karate this week. I graded for my 3rd Kyu (Brown belt) and at the same Kim graded for her 5th Kyu (Blue belt).On the occation I treated myself to a new dogi (karate uniform).I was so nervous and tense - and screwed up a few places. There is now a lot of hard work ahead to get to the 2nd Kyu which is at least another half a year away.Here are some photos from the grading. The ones from the dojo are a bit blurry because they weren't taken from my camera and I don't have the full resolution photos. 20. March 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate bruises 20. March 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetLast year was a tough year with Karate.First the lockdown meant that we had to go online for traininShareLast year was a tough year with Karate.First the lockdown meant that we had to go online for training, but even in the dojo I managed to get a lot of injuries.Some of them visible and some of them not so visible...I have a whole stack of scans and x-rays as souvenirs from this year.Some could have been avoided, but most are just part of the training.I even earned an award for it...The worst one was a kick to my chin. I dont have any photos of it, but I do have the indentation it made on my mouth guard I was wearing at the time. If it hadn't been for the mouthguard I am certain that I would have lost some teeth. This injury could have been avoided.I have now gone out to buy a new and way cooler mouthguard (I created the design myself). It is thors hammer in the middle surrounded by the Fenrir wolf and Midgaards Serpent.Even Kim got a few bruises. 13. March 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments My Burmese Dha swords 13. March 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetBack in the late 90's I visited Laos. In the northern corner of Laos I acquired two old swords from ShareBack in the late 90's I visited Laos. In the northern corner of Laos I acquired two old swords from a local.Through some forums I have tried to find out as much as I can about them and this is what I have been told:The swords are of a Burmese style called Dha (Means sword in Burmese).They are of museum worthy piecesI should NOT EVER attempt to restore them. This would degrade their value significantly.The flower script design on the swords are reserved for the rulers and officers of those days.အဲဒီဓားတွေကငါတို့ရဲ့ဗမာဓားတွေပဲလာအိုဆိုတာအရင်ကဇင်းမယ်လို့ခေါ်တယ်အင်းဝခေတ်မှာမြန်မာတွေတက်သိမ်းခဲ့တဲ့နိုင်ငံပဲဓားကိုငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓားလို့ခေါ်တယ်ဓားကဓားကောင်းပဲ အခုငါပြတဲ့ဓားဟာလည်းသမိုင်းဝင်ဓားပဲငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓားပေါ့ (Translation: These swords are our Burmese swords. Laos was formerly called Zin Mae, a country that was conquered by the Burmese during the Inwa period. The sword is called the Sword of the Bird. The sword is a good sword.).It's a Ngat kyee daung Dah the sword that was once used by Burmese warriors and Thai during the dark age of Konbaung (1765–1767). This Burmese Empire was destroyed during the English colonized to the East and totally wiped out by the English cannons kind of like a scene from the last samurai movie in the end! They were like charging to the enemy where they were being shot at.These are also antique pieces in a good state of preservation! Swords, even if they are in such good condition, belong in the museum. You have to take a look at the Malaysia Sword Museum! They are great specimenOne would have to analyze the material metal wood winding fibers would certainly be very interesting! You don't see such a bundle every dayThe handle on the smaller sword is made from wound rattan fibres.The larger sword is made from silver and wound silver threading (I believe it is the typical not so pure silver/tin that was used).This means that it is likely that the swords are up towards 250 years old and that the long one belonged to someone of a high status. The area they are from is a place that has been ravaged by war for several hundred years right from the wards beween Burma and Siam (Thailand), conquer by the English empire, the Second World War, the Chinese civil war through to the Laos Civil/Vietnam war.It is highly likely that the swords have seen some action. Although a bit rusty, the swords are still very sharp. Given that the blade on the longer sword is narrower at the hilt it is likely that it has been sharpened several times through history. Again this probably means that it had a practical use/purpose and wasn't just for display. 22. January 2021 01:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Newcastle 22. January 2021 01:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetBetween Christmas and New year we made a trip to Newcastle with the family.They had this beautiful lShareBetween Christmas and New year we made a trip to Newcastle with the family.They had this beautiful little animal park that is maintained by the council and is free to visit.Just outside Newcastle is fighterworld, which is an aircraft museum next to an active air strip.Newcastle museum was also worth a visit on a rainy day.One evening we went to the games arcade...no idea how Aiden managed to get a first place in racing. 21. January 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate 2020 21. January 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetKarate during 2020 was challenging to say the least.I was devastated when everything moved online. IShareKarate during 2020 was challenging to say the least.I was devastated when everything moved online. I love the partner work and couldn't see how this was going to work through video conferencing.The boys and Kim were okay with the new format and I hung in there. I was so happy once we were able to get back in the dojo again.Just before the lockdown I had purchased a punching bag, so at least we were able to do some outdoor contact punching.During the lockdown there was a kata competition and other programs, and we did get a few prices....but dojo definitely rules...We have managed to go to gradings...And I have kept all the grading certificated we have gotton... 21. January 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Tennis Award 21. January 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAnother encouragement award for Aiden. This time in Tennis...ShareAnother encouragement award for Aiden. This time in Tennis... 31. December 2020 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Covid 31. December 2020 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet2020 was definitely a bit different because of Covid.Australia managed to get through with very few Share2020 was definitely a bit different because of Covid.Australia managed to get through with very few outbreaks because of very early and sever lockdowns.This let people to panic buy. We spent the time to chill out and solve lots of puzzles in the evenings, do lots of exercise in the parks (which was still allowed), Karate online and work moving fully to conference calls. 31. December 2020 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Challenging year 31. December 2020 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThe last couple of years has been super challenging for Aiden all around.He is struggling all aroundShareThe last couple of years has been super challenging for Aiden all around.He is struggling all around and this photo tells it all. For myself I have been struggling equally, and had it not been for the release of karate I don't know where things would have been at. I often wish I had my own bucket to hide under. I don't think this year will be any easier unfortunately... << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts12345678910...9293Older posts SearchInclude comments in search Newsletter Get notified when a new post is published. Enter your e-mail Please enter an e-mail address Please enter a valid e-mail Thank you Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal Blog Portfolio Packages Contact About Home 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Boys artwork 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetLucas version of a Miro paintingShareLucas version of a Miro painting 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Peter Pan 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetWe took the older children to see Peter Pan - this was their christmas/birthday presents.ShareWe took the older children to see Peter Pan - this was their christmas/birthday presents. 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kims Birthday 2017 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare 19. September 2017 16:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Bedstefars visit 19. September 2017 16:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetMy dad was here earlier in the year visiting.ShareMy dad was here earlier in the year visiting. 19. September 2017 16:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Climbing with the boys 19. September 2017 16:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetWe have started to take the boys climbing occasionally. Especially Aiden enjoys it and is able to clShareWe have started to take the boys climbing occasionally. Especially Aiden enjoys it and is able to climb to the top without being afraid. 19. September 2017 16:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Lucas 5yo birthday 19. September 2017 16:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetLucas just had his 5th birthday.It was celebrated at the local park with his friends and we had hireShareLucas just had his 5th birthday.It was celebrated at the local park with his friends and we had hired an entertainer to do some activities with them. 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aiden 7yo birthday 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetSome photos from Aiden 7th BirthdayHis party was at the climbing gym. Unfortunately he was sick on tShareSome photos from Aiden 7th BirthdayHis party was at the climbing gym. Unfortunately he was sick on that day, so didn't enjoy it as much as he could have.One of his presents was a crystal growing dragon - here is before and after. 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aiden 7yo birthday 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetSome photos from Aiden 7th BirthdayHis party was at the climbing gym. Unfortunately he was sick on tShareSome photos from Aiden 7th BirthdayHis party was at the climbing gym. Unfortunately he was sick on that day, so didn't enjoy it as much as he could have.One of his presents was a crystal growing dragon - here is before and after. 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Chinese New Year 2017 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetChinese new year with the boys.ShareChinese new year with the boys. 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Funny faces 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetA couple of funny facesShareA couple of funny faces << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts12...131415161718192021...9293Older posts SearchInclude comments in search Newsletter Get notified when a new post is published. Enter your e-mail Please enter an e-mail address Please enter a valid e-mail Thank you Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal Blog Portfolio Packages Contact About Home 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aiden starting Year 1 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAiden is now in Year 1 at school. This photo is from his first day back at school.ShareAiden is now in Year 1 at school. This photo is from his first day back at school. 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aidens missing teeth 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAiden lost his front teeth.ShareAiden lost his front teeth. 19. March 2017 16:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Zimbabwe - being chased by Leopards 19. March 2017 16:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetI just completed this photo of the boys about to be eaten by a leopard in the dark jungle.At the airShareI just completed this photo of the boys about to be eaten by a leopard in the dark jungle.At the airport in Victoria Falls they had these awesome stuffed animals that I though could be fun for some composite work.Trying to get the boys to act scared rather than just being silly was a different matter.Here are some more photos of the animals. 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 TweetTraveling with the two boys can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, but this time it actually went veShareTraveling 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 TweetThe West Coast National Park north of Cape Town is something special. During the spring all the SoutShareThe 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 ElandAnd 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 - Cape Town 2. March 2017 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetCape town is a nice place and fairly small by Sydney standards. Although very modern it still has anShareCape 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 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - Hout Bay 2. March 2017 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetHout Bay is just south of Cape Town - Besides from being a nice little fishing village it is also faShareHout 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 08:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - Wine lands 2. March 2017 08:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetWe spent a day driving out through the wine lands around Cape Town, namely Stellenbosch and FranschhShareWe 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 TweetOne morning we went to the Cheetah Outreach centre outside Cape Town.Here they train dogs to keep wiShareOne 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 TweetThe Cape Peninsula is a beautiful area with nice views and little isolated beaches where ever you loShareThe 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. << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts12...141516171819202122...9293Older posts SearchInclude comments in search Newsletter Get notified when a new post is published. Enter your e-mail Please enter an e-mail address Please enter a valid e-mail Thank you Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal Blog Portfolio Packages Contact About Home 29. November 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Struggling 29. November 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetI was struggling a lot this year, through a combination of things ranging from self worth, lack of sShareI was struggling a lot this year, through a combination of things ranging from self worth, lack of support, dealing with the boys, work and other things.Mid-year during the lockdown it hit hard. 7. April 2021 22:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Camping Glenworth Valley 7. April 2021 22:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetOver easter we went to Glenworth Valley for Camping. This location is about an hours drive north of ShareOver easter we went to Glenworth Valley for Camping. This location is about an hours drive north of Sydney in an easily accessible but beautiful little valley.It is private propoerty, so you have to book beforehand and it does get very busy. We were very lucky that we were located down at the end of the property where it was more quiet.In the evenings there were beautiful sunsets.In the morning it was a bit more misty in the valley.The owners also put on a great easter egg hunt for the children. There were hundreds of children with 20,000 chocolate eggs hidden in a field and there was an easter bunny riding a horse.We also spend time playing some ball sports. I'd brought a baseball bat and ball. Because we were four families, we had plenty of people to form two teams. It got very competitive and the bat took a bit of battering, so I had to go a buy a more solid wooden bat.In the evenings we had the normal campfire and baked dampers on sticks, marshmellows and baked potatoes in the fire.There are also lots of walks witin easy driving distance, including some walks with beautiful waterfalls.Also, people come to the valley for horse riding, so there are lots of horses in the surrounding paddocks.And wildlife such as Kookaburras!And going for a short stroll in the mornings was a beautiful experience with the mist and light changing.Because of lots of rain, the whole area had been flooded just weeks earlier. Where we were camping would have been a meter under water, but because of the river running through the area the water had fortunately receeded. 21. March 2021 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate 3rd Kyu 21. March 2021 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetI reached a significant milestone in karate this week. I graded for my 3rd Kyu (Brown belt) and at tShareI reached a significant milestone in karate this week. I graded for my 3rd Kyu (Brown belt) and at the same Kim graded for her 5th Kyu (Blue belt).On the occation I treated myself to a new dogi (karate uniform).I was so nervous and tense - and screwed up a few places. There is now a lot of hard work ahead to get to the 2nd Kyu which is at least another half a year away.Here are some photos from the grading. The ones from the dojo are a bit blurry because they weren't taken from my camera and I don't have the full resolution photos. 20. March 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate bruises 20. March 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetLast year was a tough year with Karate.First the lockdown meant that we had to go online for traininShareLast year was a tough year with Karate.First the lockdown meant that we had to go online for training, but even in the dojo I managed to get a lot of injuries.Some of them visible and some of them not so visible...I have a whole stack of scans and x-rays as souvenirs from this year.Some could have been avoided, but most are just part of the training.I even earned an award for it...The worst one was a kick to my chin. I dont have any photos of it, but I do have the indentation it made on my mouth guard I was wearing at the time. If it hadn't been for the mouthguard I am certain that I would have lost some teeth. This injury could have been avoided.I have now gone out to buy a new and way cooler mouthguard (I created the design myself). It is thors hammer in the middle surrounded by the Fenrir wolf and Midgaards Serpent.Even Kim got a few bruises. 13. March 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments My Burmese Dha swords 13. March 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetBack in the late 90's I visited Laos. In the northern corner of Laos I acquired two old swords from ShareBack in the late 90's I visited Laos. In the northern corner of Laos I acquired two old swords from a local.Through some forums I have tried to find out as much as I can about them and this is what I have been told:The swords are of a Burmese style called Dha (Means sword in Burmese).They are of museum worthy piecesI should NOT EVER attempt to restore them. This would degrade their value significantly.The flower script design on the swords are reserved for the rulers and officers of those days.အဲဒီဓားတွေကငါတို့ရဲ့ဗမာဓားတွေပဲလာအိုဆိုတာအရင်ကဇင်းမယ်လို့ခေါ်တယ်အင်းဝခေတ်မှာမြန်မာတွေတက်သိမ်းခဲ့တဲ့နိုင်ငံပဲဓားကိုငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓားလို့ခေါ်တယ်ဓားကဓားကောင်းပဲ အခုငါပြတဲ့ဓားဟာလည်းသမိုင်းဝင်ဓားပဲငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓားပေါ့ (Translation: These swords are our Burmese swords. Laos was formerly called Zin Mae, a country that was conquered by the Burmese during the Inwa period. The sword is called the Sword of the Bird. The sword is a good sword.).It's a Ngat kyee daung Dah the sword that was once used by Burmese warriors and Thai during the dark age of Konbaung (1765–1767). This Burmese Empire was destroyed during the English colonized to the East and totally wiped out by the English cannons kind of like a scene from the last samurai movie in the end! They were like charging to the enemy where they were being shot at.These are also antique pieces in a good state of preservation! Swords, even if they are in such good condition, belong in the museum. You have to take a look at the Malaysia Sword Museum! They are great specimenOne would have to analyze the material metal wood winding fibers would certainly be very interesting! You don't see such a bundle every dayThe handle on the smaller sword is made from wound rattan fibres.The larger sword is made from silver and wound silver threading (I believe it is the typical not so pure silver/tin that was used).This means that it is likely that the swords are up towards 250 years old and that the long one belonged to someone of a high status. The area they are from is a place that has been ravaged by war for several hundred years right from the wards beween Burma and Siam (Thailand), conquer by the English empire, the Second World War, the Chinese civil war through to the Laos Civil/Vietnam war.It is highly likely that the swords have seen some action. Although a bit rusty, the swords are still very sharp. Given that the blade on the longer sword is narrower at the hilt it is likely that it has been sharpened several times through history. Again this probably means that it had a practical use/purpose and wasn't just for display. 22. January 2021 01:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Newcastle 22. January 2021 01:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetBetween Christmas and New year we made a trip to Newcastle with the family.They had this beautiful lShareBetween Christmas and New year we made a trip to Newcastle with the family.They had this beautiful little animal park that is maintained by the council and is free to visit.Just outside Newcastle is fighterworld, which is an aircraft museum next to an active air strip.Newcastle museum was also worth a visit on a rainy day.One evening we went to the games arcade...no idea how Aiden managed to get a first place in racing. 21. January 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate 2020 21. January 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetKarate during 2020 was challenging to say the least.I was devastated when everything moved online. IShareKarate during 2020 was challenging to say the least.I was devastated when everything moved online. I love the partner work and couldn't see how this was going to work through video conferencing.The boys and Kim were okay with the new format and I hung in there. I was so happy once we were able to get back in the dojo again.Just before the lockdown I had purchased a punching bag, so at least we were able to do some outdoor contact punching.During the lockdown there was a kata competition and other programs, and we did get a few prices....but dojo definitely rules...We have managed to go to gradings...And I have kept all the grading certificated we have gotton... 21. January 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Tennis Award 21. January 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAnother encouragement award for Aiden. This time in Tennis...ShareAnother encouragement award for Aiden. This time in Tennis... 31. December 2020 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Covid 31. December 2020 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet2020 was definitely a bit different because of Covid.Australia managed to get through with very few Share2020 was definitely a bit different because of Covid.Australia managed to get through with very few outbreaks because of very early and sever lockdowns.This let people to panic buy. We spent the time to chill out and solve lots of puzzles in the evenings, do lots of exercise in the parks (which was still allowed), Karate online and work moving fully to conference calls. 31. December 2020 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Challenging year 31. December 2020 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThe last couple of years has been super challenging for Aiden all around.He is struggling all aroundShareThe last couple of years has been super challenging for Aiden all around.He is struggling all around and this photo tells it all. For myself I have been struggling equally, and had it not been for the release of karate I don't know where things would have been at. I often wish I had my own bucket to hide under. I don't think this year will be any easier unfortunately... << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts12345678910...9293Older posts SearchInclude comments in search Newsletter Get notified when a new post is published. Enter your e-mail Please enter an e-mail address Please enter a valid e-mail Thank you Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal Blog Portfolio Packages Contact About Home 9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Various of the boys 9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare 9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kims old photos 9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetKims dad has some old photos hanging of Kim when she was little.This is Kims mum when she was young.ShareKims dad has some old photos hanging of Kim when she was little.This is Kims mum when she was young.This is Kims dad when he was young 9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Malabar headland 9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetMalabar headland is now open to the public. We have been there a few time now taking the kids walkinShareMalabar headland is now open to the public. We have been there a few time now taking the kids walking.Here are some photos from various walks. 9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Christmas 2016 - family photos 9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetHere are some more photos from Christmas 2016ShareHere are some more photos from Christmas 2016 9. October 2017 11:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Gerringong Family trip 9. October 2017 11:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetDuring the October long weekend we went to Gerringong 2 hours south of Sydney.The kids loved playingShareDuring the October long weekend we went to Gerringong 2 hours south of Sydney.The kids loved playing in the sand and water.We also visited one of the few vineyards in the area.It was Chong's birthday while we were there.One morning I made a stack of pancakes - they were all eaten.On the last day we went to Minnamurra rainforest.We also went to the Kiama blowhole - but not much action. 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Illawarra airshow 2017 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThis year the airshow was on - we went there with the boys, highly recommended and will definitely fShareThis year the airshow was on - we went there with the boys, highly recommended and will definitely find time to go there next time. 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Swimming Certificates 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments NRL - Sharks vs Cowboys 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetKA had some tickets for the lead-up final games for the NRL. I thought it could be fun to give the bShareKA had some tickets for the lead-up final games for the NRL. I thought it could be fun to give the boys the experience of seeing a game...especially Aiden was really into it. 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aiden student of the week certificate 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Easter trip 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAt easter we rented a house with the family again.ShareAt easter we rented a house with the family again. << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts12...121314151617181920...9293Older posts SearchInclude comments in search Newsletter Get notified when a new post is published. Enter your e-mail Please enter an e-mail address Please enter a valid e-mail Thank you Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal Blog Portfolio Packages Contact About Home 15. September 2000 11:05 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments New Car in 2000 . . . 15. September 2000 11:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetnew car in 2000ShareIn September 2000, just after I returned from my trip to Borneo, I had to buy this new car because my girlfriend had written off my car whilst I was away! *smile* I did not look forward to hunting around for a new car, but I found a good buy locally. This car is a 1997 Ford Futura, with 4.0 litre, 6-cylinder, 220-horsepower, power-steering, central locking and electronic windows (I think I am starting to sound like a car advertisement...) It is pretty much the same colour as my old car, and it feels so nice to drive! As you can see, pretty similar, but I also really miss my old car! It had a lot of computerised features - from a digital odometer, to adjusting the internal temperature of the car. It was a pretty cool car and wished I could have kept it for another few more years. A huge contrast to my first car! It is a red hatchback that I bought early 1998, a few months after I arrived in Australia. But someone wrote it off a few months after I bought it. It was a pretty bad accident, but luckily I was alright. I was only covered by Third Party insurance, and to go through a lot of paperwork just to get reimbursement for the car! 15. August 2000 10:43 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Away from Headquarters . . . 15. August 2000 10:43 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetaway from headquartersShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillageAway from Headquarters . . .I managed to explore the villages at Silam. The people here wore this white stuff on their faces - I guess their form of sunscreen. These people were refugees from the Philippines. The kids were fighting to fit into the photo! The kids here were really cute.These kids here, had caught a monkey and was trying to sell it at the camp for 5 ringgit (AUD$2.50). No-one wanted to buy it because they knew if they bought it, and set it loose, the kids would just catch it again, and try to sell it. In general, there were lots of great photos at Silam village. One of the helicopter pilots was driving through the jungle roads, took a corner too fast, and had a minor mishap.We headed into Lahad Datu to get some seafood! An escape from camp food. Camp food was disgusting. There were live worms in the vegetables (yes, after cooked). Most of the food was not fresh, and was pretty boring. The seafood was fantastic here. Whenever we had the chance, we ate lots of seafood. Yum... Paul did not get to eat all of the crabs - all of us had a portion of it. Yummm... they were huge, but we did not eat them. They were too big for us to eat, pretty impressive though. They were the biggest lobsters I have seen in my life. We saw these at the same place we ate our seafood and frogs (below). We had this frog for dinner about 2 min after I took the photo. This was actually when I went out with Glen in Kota Kinabalu - he asked me to pick some food and to surprise him. I did not tell him till a year later that he ate frog meat. He asked me what it was, because he reckoned it tasted funny, but I did not tell him at the time. I think he will only eat it again. Only if he really had to. Petronis Towers - the tallest twin towers in the world. Actually, they are the tallest buildings in the world, followed by the Sears Towers in Chicago. The towers are joined by some sort pedestrian platform. These towers are located in Kuala Lumpur. I went to Kuala Lumpur to pick up my Permanent Residency for Australia. Woohoo!!! After 2 years of lots of paperwork, and correspondence back and forth with Berlin, I finally managed to get it! The inconvenience of it all, was that I actually had to leave Australia ie collect my PR before re-entering Australia. Below, is the only photo I have of the Lateral Linking Team that I worked with during the race. Back to TopReturn to Borneo HomepageCreated: 7 Dec 2001 15. August 2000 10:42 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Helicopters . . . 15. August 2000 10:42 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweethelicoptersShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillageHelicopters . . .The radio communications team had to arrive a few days before that because we had to hand out over 2,000 pieces of radio equipment. We had problems getting the necessary approvals for helicopters so they were grounded! I ended having to hand out most of the equipment as Glen and Paul had to sort out our use of the helicopters. We had to fly all the equipment to Silam before the start of the race, and our team managed to fly to Silam the day before the race started. Do you believe that Paul managed to take a photo of me whilst I was flying the chopper? He was standing to the side of me, and took the photo at night time, with the door open ... Just kidding. A couple of days before the race started, I was at the airport most of the day. We had some problems with the radios in the helicopters... I must have been in and out of those helicopters at least 200 times. I did manage to get someone to take some photos of me in a helicopter, looking very much like the pilot! I had hoped that I had the time to explore Kota Kinabalue, but we were so busy, it had to wait. Here is the 212 or "Huey" - a twin-turbine Vietnam helicopter taking off. It is a hell a lot more powerful than some of the other helicopters we were using, which were 206s. Here are the medical guys practising abseiling out of the helicopters (Aussie style)! At the start of the race, I was sitting there listening to the first rescue on the radio. 3 hours after the start, four boats had capsized... helicopters and boats were very busy! The competitors were due to arrive at Silam (another checkpoint) the next day (21st Aug). For the first few days after the race started, I had to help organise to get the fuel to the top of the mountain. After that the helicopter came in useful. It brought up 100 litres of fuel on the 4th day so I did not have to ferry fuel anymore! At the end of the race, we had to sling-load the repeaters, to get them off the mountain. That means we had to strap them onto the helicopters, and pull them off the mountains that way - quite effective really. Repeater station finally airborne! You can see a pole in the right photo. My girlfriend asked me what it was for - it helps balance the load so that it does not keep swinging whilst airborne. Below, you will see some pretty good photos from the chopper. Towards the end of the race, we had to scan the rivers for the last competitors coming in - to make sure they had completed this section of the race course. It was low-altitude flying of the river-bed. The photo on the left shows the chopper approaching Silam Village. This village was located just outside of Silam HQ. Glen liked wanted to have a photo of the back of my head - and I ruined the photo by turning my head as he took it... Here's a sunset shot of the helicopters flying around. I had to put in this fantastic photo - the lighting gives a really nice feel to the photo. Back to TopReturn to Borneo HomepageCreated: 7 Dec 2001 15. August 2000 10:42 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Wildlife in Borneo . . . 15. August 2000 10:42 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe wildlife in borneoShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillageThe Wildlife in Borneo . . .The jungles in Borneo are really dense, dark and humid. You will find that some of the photos look as though they have been over-exposed, but in reality, it is just the humidity in the air. I have a photo of this at home - Glen enlarged it for me, and framed it! Don't ask me why - I think I look rather wasted there. Glen and I tried to race through the jungle. The climb to the top of the mountain is rated as a 1.5 hour climb... Glen and I have done it in 26 minutes... actually I was confident that I could do it in less than 20 and so I did! I held the record of taking 17 minutes to race to the top of Mt Silam, covering a distance of approx 4 kilometres through the jungle, up a mountain. I was getting really fit (My girlfriend was proud of me). This photo shows how dense and dark the jungle can be. It was so humid there... no, not because I hadn't cleaned my lenses. You can see how muddy it is in the jungle - I became quite dirty after many trips into the jungle. I think these trees are just as big as the Californian Redwoods. They might not be as old, but definitely just as big. This was taken with a 300mm lens, from 1.5 metres. The most amazing thing about them, is when they are scared, the curl up into little "marbles". It looks like a small bug, but it is actually at least 7cm long, which is actually quite big. I noticed in Borneo, most of the insects there were huge. The wingspan of the brown moth was about 15cm wide - huge! They are mostly active at night, which is quite common for creatures in the jungle. A couple of the girls stationed in the jungles, was stationed here. Not a wise decision, considering these girls were paranoid about the insects. (Note: in the photo below, I still had conjunctivitis) I had the red eyes for most of the trip. Big and beautiful, don't you think? You can see how big the black moth is compared to the size of the telephone. These plants were kind of special because each branch split into two, so by the end of it, they formed a hexagonal pattern. Below, are plants known as the "pitcher" plant. The pitcher plants are meat-eating plants - you have watch out not to fall into them because they will swallow you whole. If you just believed that, you are very gullible! *laugh* The pitcher plant, like other carnivorous plants, feed on insects. They have sweet-smelling nectar that attract the unsuspecting insect to it. When the insect lands, it finds the surface slippery and fall straight into the “pitcher”, where the plants juices drowns it and is digested by the plant. You may have heard of other type of carnivorous plants such as the Venus Fly Trap, and the Sundew plants. Yes, you see me holding the snake with a leaf. It was a poisonous snake, and I was worried about it's venom getting on my skin. For example a puff adder, contact with the venom numbs the skin. I was not familiar with the snakes in Borneo, and was not about to risk it. The tarantella was sitting inside the catering tent hunting. Everyone was looking at it and admiring it, which was pretty amazing, considering I know many people who would willingly kill a spider in sight. Back to TopReturn to Borneo HomepageCreated: 7 Dec 2001 15. August 2000 10:41 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Repeater Stations . . . 15. August 2000 10:41 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetrepeater stationsShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillageRepeater Stations . . .Here, you see Paul and I transporting some of the repeater stations by air. From Silam, we flew down to DFVC. We stayed there for three days before going back to Silam. I am at one of the repeater sites. Here, the top of one of the mountains was cleared, so we could safely land a helicopter there. Oh... did I forget to mention that I almost chopped one of my fingers in half at the repeater site? On top of my infected eye, I had another thing for the medical team to look at. The fingernail had been chopped in half and there was not much I could do about it except clean it up and try to avoid infections. The medical team was great there... they were extremely good. We had a few problems with some of the communications gear. Paul and Glen were handling it, and at times I tried to assist. The first few days had been really tough. The top of Silam is covered in clouds for most of the afternoons, so the solar panels are quite useless. A survey of the conditions made prior to the race was useless. If you ask any of the locals, they would have told us that the peak is always covered in clouds... but apparently no-one asked them!!! We had problems keeping the generators running - they were using more power than predicted and there was no sun on the top of Silam to recharge the batteries. The generator itself was a re-built petrol engine with a car alternator on it. We basically tried to use a system where we used a jerry can, cut holes into it, and relied on the force of gravity to transport the fuel to the generator. This design ended up working best for us. Our helicopter pilot sitting on the side there, just grinning... On the third day of the race, I hiked up the mountain three times. I was really tired and all I could think of was getting a bit of a rest and some food. I managed to get a bit once I got to Danum. In Danum I managed to get 6 hours sleep before someone woke me up and told me that the repeater had died in Silam... again all the cars had to leave in a convoy... so rush, rush to find my driver and managed (just) to get into the convoy! The road to Danum closes at 6.30pm and all the cars had to go in the convoy. The helicopter flew all of us to the top of the mountain, and waited there for us till we were finished. Glen quite often told the pilot, "You don't have to shut down, because we'll only be here for 5 minutes." Well... quite often, we were there for as long as an hour and half! (Don't worry, the pilot was sensible enough to shut down immediately... he got to know Glen very well.) I went up there often make sure that it was still running. It is much better getting a helicopter to fly me up there so that I can bring some fuel with me ! Glen has mostly been on top of the mountain getting the generator back online. We have to keep the generator running 24 hours per day until the end of the race. On the third night after the race started, one of the repeaters went dead. I had to hike up the mountain on the previous day as the generator had died. I did not leave the mountain until it was dark, so I had to climb down through the jungle in the dark! Fortunately I had my torch with me! Paul later gave me strict instructions to make sure that I leave the mountain so that I could be back at HQ while there was still light! I found out that I did not have any problems navigating at night... I even offered Paul to go back up when the repeater died! Anyhow, we ended up having to send the airborne repeater up! Back to TopReturn to Borneo HomepageCreated: 7 Dec 2001 15. August 2000 10:41 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Competitors . . . 15. August 2000 10:41 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe competitorsShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillageThe Competitors . . .The competitors did not rest... three of the teams were half way through the 600 kilometre course after only three days... pretty amazing! Two of the teams were Australian. 18 teams were out of the race. At least 10 of these were due to medical problems. Hardly any people around here get enough sleep... the place is active 24 hours per day because there are always competitors coming in! I was keen to find out how the Danish team would turn out. At the beginning of the race, they were not very sociable. But by the end of the race, I think the tension of the race had gone, and I managed to have a chat with them. By the third day, the Danes are doing pretty well... they had a 22nd place! This was the mountain-bike leg of the race. The guy you see being transported to hospital in the helicopter (photos below), was doing this part of the race. He was rounding a corner on his bike and rode straight into a large branch. We had a lot of medical urgencies... we almost lost a guy with a punctured lung ! I got some great photos and helped getting the guy into the mobile hospital. There was a lot publicity on the website and through the media about it. Fortunately, he was only 15 minutes away from HQ, so it was possible for us to get him to the helicopter very quickly, and to the nearest hospital. Another leg of the race involved rowing in these “sampans”, a Malay term for “boat”. At some point, the teams in the race had to also split up - some of them swimming, some of them rowing, to complete the water leg of the race. Below, the competitors had to use a flying fox to cross the canyons. I managed to have a go at it - compared to rock-climbing... well, I found it pretty boring *smile*. I imagine most people would find it quite fun though. There are no places to climb here. I had hoped to take one of the helicopters to Madai Caves to check out the 200 metre abseil. The road to the Madai Caves lead directly through the tiny village of Gua Madai - a small cluster of homes, their wood bleached grey. The town’s main sources of income are tourism and birds’ nests. The nests are found high up the walls of the cave, tucked away in cracks and crevasses, and can command thousands of dollars. They are harvested about three times a year. My girlfriend mentioned trying "bird's nest soup" whilst I was there. She said normally the bird's nest they use belong to the swallow. It is a delicacy to many Asians, and similar to shark's fin soup - that is if you have tried it. Normally the nests are made out of the birds' saliva. There was so much rain at Silam that HQ was often flooded. Many of the competitors took the opportunity to get some sleep and the slept on whatever they could find. Back to TopReturn to Borneo HomepageCreated: 7 Dec 2001 15. August 2000 10:40 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Silam and Jungle Ops . . . 15. August 2000 10:40 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetsilam and jungle opsShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillageSilam and Jungle Ops . . .It is so bloody hot in Silam! It must have been at least 40 degrees and 100% humidity! Silam was the overall headquarters, and Danum Valley Field Centre (DVFC) was referred to as Jungle Ops. Jungle Ops controlled all radio communications and conducted the race through the the jungle. From Kota Kinabalu, we flew to Lahad Datu and drove the rest of the way to Silam. Silam was the site of one of the repeater stations. We had to set up a HQ a few kilometres from this station... heaps of opportunities for a few walks in the jungle. The operation at Silam was huge!... I had never seen such a busy place before. The place was crawling with energy. It was bigger than any military operation I had ever seen! You would be amazed to see the logistics involved in this project ! At the time I did not have the time to take a lot of photos. We had many army trucks transporting the competitors' equipment - very good cooperation from the military. They helped out with the preparation and set-up of HQ, and with the transportation of fuel. This is the headquarters on the left. The whole Ecochallenge race is governed from this office. The map in the background contains the position of all the checkpoints at which the competitors have to go through. Both of the above photos are aerial shots of HQ and were taken from a helicopter. I managed to get a nice aerial shot of Silam HQ. The big white patch in the middle is where the competitors stored all their equipment. Just to the left are the containers from where the race is controlled. The 4 'finger-like' white pads on the right are the heli-pads. The long rectangle to the left is the eating area, and just above it is the hospital. Approaching DVFC in helicopter. This is actually a research centre in the middle of the jungle - commonly known as DVFC (Danum Valley Field Centre). DVFC is not normally accessible the tourists and the general public, only to researchers. DVFC is concerned about contamination into the jungle. Outside Jungle Ops HQ. The green boxes contain bottled drinking water. By the time the race was over, most of this had been consumed - quite amazing really, considering there were really only 10 people at Jungle Ops. During the competitors were not allowed any help from us, and that included the provision of drinking water. Paul with some of the radio equipment at Silam. He is standing next to the HQ matrix, which contained all the communications equipment for headquarters. Paul is also standing next to the only 2 beds in the HQ building. These were used by the radio operators to nap in between shifts. Below, you see me sitting in the catering tent at Silam. I think it must have been a good day, to have been sitting there, smiling... I am just guessing here, because obviously I did not take the photo, and I cannot remerber the place. Bad hair day? I did not have a shower for a very long time, and to hold my hair in place, I adopted various techniques, such as the sunglasses-hairband... This place is a breathing ground for tropical diseases! As you can see, my right eye is really red. I somehow managed to get conjunctivitis and did not know it was contagious. I did not want to trouble the medics as they were pretty tied up with the competitors. When my vision on the left eye was getting blurry and I had problems seeing what was in front of me, I was ordered to get it checked. Just as well I did! In Kota Kinabalu, I had the same problem on the other eye... at one point both my eyes were infected. It started on my left eye on the way to Kota Kinabalu in the plane ! It then spread to my right eye. The nurse at Silam told me that I should be careful because it could re-infect to my left eye. It started to look and feel a lot better after using the eyedrops that they gave me. Back to TopReturn to Borneo HomepageCreated: 7 Dec 2001 15. August 2000 10:39 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Preparations at the Magellan Hotel 15. August 2000 10:39 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetpreparations at the magellan hotelShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillagePreparations 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 Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal Blog Portfolio Packages Contact About Home 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aswan Dam 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetaswan damShareThe High Dam was built in the 1970s. It was higher and wider than the old Aswan Dam.At its highest point, the High Dam was 111m high, 3.8km long and 980m wide at the base. It was built with 3 times as many stones that was used to build Cheops' Pyramid.The High Dam is a high-security military area so no video cameras were allowed. Should the High Dam be destroyed, than most of Egypt will be under water and it would be a disaster for the country.Lake Nasser is a man-made lake to the south, created as a result of the building of the High Dam. Because of this lake, some great monuments, villages and many of the Nubian tribes had to be moved or they would have been submerged under water. I think much history has been lost to these waters. This temple had to moved onto higher ground after the High Dam was built. Created: Dec 2004Last Updated: 24-Jan-2005 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Alabaster Factory 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe alabaster factoryShareThis alabaster factory was one of Adam's commission-based stops. Alabaster is a cheaper type of marble - the corridors of the Mohammed Ali Mosque was made of this marble, as was the small sphinx statue in Memphis. It was also used for King TutAnkhAmun's canopic jars Created: Dec 2004Last Updated: 24-Jan-2005 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Streets of Luxor (cont....) 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetstreets of luxor contShare 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Rooftop 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe rooftopShare 14. November 2004 02:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Streets of Luxor 14. November 2004 02:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetstreets of luxorShare 14. November 2004 02:08 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Luxor 14. November 2004 02:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of luxorShare 14. November 2004 02:07 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another Part 3 14. November 2004 02:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to another part 3Share 14. November 2004 02:06 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another Part 2 14. November 2004 02:06 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to another part 2Share 14. November 2004 02:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another 14. November 2004 02:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to anotherShare 14. November 2004 02:02 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Tomb of Nobles 14. November 2004 02:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettomb of noblesShare << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts12...808182838485868788...9293Older posts SearchInclude comments in search Newsletter Get notified when a new post is published. Enter your e-mail Please enter an e-mail address Please enter a valid e-mail Thank you Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal Blog Portfolio Packages Contact About Home 2. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Onsen Osaka 2. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetWhile in Japan we had to try a traditional Japanese bathhouse. We found a small one in the suburbs oShareWhile in Japan we had to try a traditional Japanese bathhouse. We found a small one in the suburbs of Osaka that had good reviews and was also suited for the boys.As most of the bath houses men and women are in different sections, so I took the boys with me which was a fun experience for them.The bath house had a section that was full of yellow rubber ducks, and the boys spent a fair amount of time playing with them.It also had a lot of other pools that varied from really hot to freezing cold pools as well a various mineral baths with water pumped up from deep underground.It is difficult to describe the feeling, but both Kim and I felt amazing afterwards. No photos allowed inside, so the outside and the poster at the local trans station will have to do. 2. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Universal Studios Osaka 2. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetIn Osaka we went to the Universal Studios theme park. It was just before Halloween, so everywhere inShareIn Osaka we went to the Universal Studios theme park. It was just before Halloween, so everywhere in the park people were dressed up in 'scary' costumes.After dark the park put on the most amazing zombie show with hundreds of actors and dancers dressed up as zombies - No One celebrates Halloween like the Japanese - amazing!!!! 1. April 2019 20:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Nara 1. April 2019 20:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetNara is an area a couple of hours outside Kyoto that is full of temples and deer roaming the streetsShareNara is an area a couple of hours outside Kyoto that is full of temples and deer roaming the streets.It has a massive temple with one of the pillars with a hole in it. Apparently if you can squeeze through then you are enlightened.The deers are good fun although Kim and and boys took a while to get used to them. 1. April 2019 18:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Nijo-jo Castle Kyoto 1. April 2019 18:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThis castle is close to the centre of the city. It is quite big and lit up at night. Out hotel was jShareThis castle is close to the centre of the city. It is quite big and lit up at night. Out hotel was just around the corner so we passed it almost every day.We didn't go inside it as there were too many other things to see. 1. April 2019 18:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Other Kyoto temples 1. April 2019 18:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThere are lots of temples in Kyoto. This is mainly because the city wasn't bombed during the second ShareThere are lots of temples in Kyoto. This is mainly because the city wasn't bombed during the second world war.For historical reasons they are mostly outside the city centre in the hills - apparently they were banned from the city centre long time ago due to the monks growing influence. 1. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) Kyoto 1. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThe golden pavillion in Kyoto is one of the most iconic sights in Kyoto. It is a small zen temple suShareThe golden pavillion in Kyoto is one of the most iconic sights in Kyoto. It is a small zen temple surrounded by a beautifully manicured landscape.It is however very touristy with large tour buses and large crowds, but still worth the visit. 1. April 2019 09:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Asiyama at Kyoto 1. April 2019 09:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAsiyama is on the outskirts of Kyoto and this is where people go to see the Bamboo forest but there ShareAsiyama is on the outskirts of Kyoto and this is where people go to see the Bamboo forest but there is also lots of other things to see in the area such as monkeys and more traditional sights such as temples.The bamboo forest itself is very crowded and the foot paths are fenced in and to be honest there are so many bamboo forests in Japan in the land districts that it is hard to see why this particular forest is so special.It is lovely to see people in traditional kimono's being transported in rickshaws.From the place where there are monkeys, there is also a view of all of Kyoto. 1. April 2019 09:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Gion District in Kyoto 1. April 2019 09:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThe Gion district in Kyoto is the traditional Geisha district and one of the very few places in JapaShareThe Gion district in Kyoto is the traditional Geisha district and one of the very few places in Japan where it is still possible to spot Geishas and see them perform.It is a lovely little district with all its narrow lanes and old traditional wooden buildings.We went there a late afternoon and were lucky enough to see a couple of Geishas heading out to perform.Later in the evening we went to a performance where they both had Geishas perform as well as some traditional Japanese theatre, comedy and tea ceremony. 28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kanasawa Castle - Japan 28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare 28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kanasawa Geisha District - Japan 28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts12...67891011121314...9293Older posts SearchInclude comments in search Newsletter Get notified when a new post is published. Enter your e-mail Please enter an e-mail address Please enter a valid e-mail Thank you
14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aswan Dam 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetaswan damShareThe High Dam was built in the 1970s. It was higher and wider than the old Aswan Dam.At its highest point, the High Dam was 111m high, 3.8km long and 980m wide at the base. It was built with 3 times as many stones that was used to build Cheops' Pyramid.The High Dam is a high-security military area so no video cameras were allowed. Should the High Dam be destroyed, than most of Egypt will be under water and it would be a disaster for the country.Lake Nasser is a man-made lake to the south, created as a result of the building of the High Dam. Because of this lake, some great monuments, villages and many of the Nubian tribes had to be moved or they would have been submerged under water. I think much history has been lost to these waters. This temple had to moved onto higher ground after the High Dam was built. Created: Dec 2004Last Updated: 24-Jan-2005
14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Alabaster Factory 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe alabaster factoryShareThis alabaster factory was one of Adam's commission-based stops. Alabaster is a cheaper type of marble - the corridors of the Mohammed Ali Mosque was made of this marble, as was the small sphinx statue in Memphis. It was also used for King TutAnkhAmun's canopic jars Created: Dec 2004Last Updated: 24-Jan-2005
14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Streets of Luxor (cont....) 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetstreets of luxor contShare
14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Rooftop 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe rooftopShare
14. November 2004 02:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Streets of Luxor 14. November 2004 02:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetstreets of luxorShare
14. November 2004 02:08 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Luxor 14. November 2004 02:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of luxorShare
14. November 2004 02:07 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another Part 3 14. November 2004 02:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to another part 3Share
14. November 2004 02:06 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another Part 2 14. November 2004 02:06 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to another part 2Share
14. November 2004 02:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another 14. November 2004 02:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to anotherShare
14. November 2004 02:02 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Tomb of Nobles 14. November 2004 02:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettomb of noblesShare
29. November 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Struggling 29. November 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetI was struggling a lot this year, through a combination of things ranging from self worth, lack of sShareI was struggling a lot this year, through a combination of things ranging from self worth, lack of support, dealing with the boys, work and other things.Mid-year during the lockdown it hit hard.
7. April 2021 22:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Camping Glenworth Valley 7. April 2021 22:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetOver easter we went to Glenworth Valley for Camping. This location is about an hours drive north of ShareOver easter we went to Glenworth Valley for Camping. This location is about an hours drive north of Sydney in an easily accessible but beautiful little valley.It is private propoerty, so you have to book beforehand and it does get very busy. We were very lucky that we were located down at the end of the property where it was more quiet.In the evenings there were beautiful sunsets.In the morning it was a bit more misty in the valley.The owners also put on a great easter egg hunt for the children. There were hundreds of children with 20,000 chocolate eggs hidden in a field and there was an easter bunny riding a horse.We also spend time playing some ball sports. I'd brought a baseball bat and ball. Because we were four families, we had plenty of people to form two teams. It got very competitive and the bat took a bit of battering, so I had to go a buy a more solid wooden bat.In the evenings we had the normal campfire and baked dampers on sticks, marshmellows and baked potatoes in the fire.There are also lots of walks witin easy driving distance, including some walks with beautiful waterfalls.Also, people come to the valley for horse riding, so there are lots of horses in the surrounding paddocks.And wildlife such as Kookaburras!And going for a short stroll in the mornings was a beautiful experience with the mist and light changing.Because of lots of rain, the whole area had been flooded just weeks earlier. Where we were camping would have been a meter under water, but because of the river running through the area the water had fortunately receeded.
21. March 2021 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate 3rd Kyu 21. March 2021 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetI reached a significant milestone in karate this week. I graded for my 3rd Kyu (Brown belt) and at tShareI reached a significant milestone in karate this week. I graded for my 3rd Kyu (Brown belt) and at the same Kim graded for her 5th Kyu (Blue belt).On the occation I treated myself to a new dogi (karate uniform).I was so nervous and tense - and screwed up a few places. There is now a lot of hard work ahead to get to the 2nd Kyu which is at least another half a year away.Here are some photos from the grading. The ones from the dojo are a bit blurry because they weren't taken from my camera and I don't have the full resolution photos.
20. March 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate bruises 20. March 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetLast year was a tough year with Karate.First the lockdown meant that we had to go online for traininShareLast year was a tough year with Karate.First the lockdown meant that we had to go online for training, but even in the dojo I managed to get a lot of injuries.Some of them visible and some of them not so visible...I have a whole stack of scans and x-rays as souvenirs from this year.Some could have been avoided, but most are just part of the training.I even earned an award for it...The worst one was a kick to my chin. I dont have any photos of it, but I do have the indentation it made on my mouth guard I was wearing at the time. If it hadn't been for the mouthguard I am certain that I would have lost some teeth. This injury could have been avoided.I have now gone out to buy a new and way cooler mouthguard (I created the design myself). It is thors hammer in the middle surrounded by the Fenrir wolf and Midgaards Serpent.Even Kim got a few bruises.
13. March 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments My Burmese Dha swords 13. March 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetBack in the late 90's I visited Laos. In the northern corner of Laos I acquired two old swords from ShareBack in the late 90's I visited Laos. In the northern corner of Laos I acquired two old swords from a local.Through some forums I have tried to find out as much as I can about them and this is what I have been told:The swords are of a Burmese style called Dha (Means sword in Burmese).They are of museum worthy piecesI should NOT EVER attempt to restore them. This would degrade their value significantly.The flower script design on the swords are reserved for the rulers and officers of those days.အဲဒီဓားတွေကငါတို့ရဲ့ဗမာဓားတွေပဲလာအိုဆိုတာအရင်ကဇင်းမယ်လို့ခေါ်တယ်အင်းဝခေတ်မှာမြန်မာတွေတက်သိမ်းခဲ့တဲ့နိုင်ငံပဲဓားကိုငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓားလို့ခေါ်တယ်ဓားကဓားကောင်းပဲ အခုငါပြတဲ့ဓားဟာလည်းသမိုင်းဝင်ဓားပဲငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓားပေါ့ (Translation: These swords are our Burmese swords. Laos was formerly called Zin Mae, a country that was conquered by the Burmese during the Inwa period. The sword is called the Sword of the Bird. The sword is a good sword.).It's a Ngat kyee daung Dah the sword that was once used by Burmese warriors and Thai during the dark age of Konbaung (1765–1767). This Burmese Empire was destroyed during the English colonized to the East and totally wiped out by the English cannons kind of like a scene from the last samurai movie in the end! They were like charging to the enemy where they were being shot at.These are also antique pieces in a good state of preservation! Swords, even if they are in such good condition, belong in the museum. You have to take a look at the Malaysia Sword Museum! They are great specimenOne would have to analyze the material metal wood winding fibers would certainly be very interesting! You don't see such a bundle every dayThe handle on the smaller sword is made from wound rattan fibres.The larger sword is made from silver and wound silver threading (I believe it is the typical not so pure silver/tin that was used).This means that it is likely that the swords are up towards 250 years old and that the long one belonged to someone of a high status. The area they are from is a place that has been ravaged by war for several hundred years right from the wards beween Burma and Siam (Thailand), conquer by the English empire, the Second World War, the Chinese civil war through to the Laos Civil/Vietnam war.It is highly likely that the swords have seen some action. Although a bit rusty, the swords are still very sharp. Given that the blade on the longer sword is narrower at the hilt it is likely that it has been sharpened several times through history. Again this probably means that it had a practical use/purpose and wasn't just for display.
22. January 2021 01:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Newcastle 22. January 2021 01:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetBetween Christmas and New year we made a trip to Newcastle with the family.They had this beautiful lShareBetween Christmas and New year we made a trip to Newcastle with the family.They had this beautiful little animal park that is maintained by the council and is free to visit.Just outside Newcastle is fighterworld, which is an aircraft museum next to an active air strip.Newcastle museum was also worth a visit on a rainy day.One evening we went to the games arcade...no idea how Aiden managed to get a first place in racing.
21. January 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate 2020 21. January 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetKarate during 2020 was challenging to say the least.I was devastated when everything moved online. IShareKarate during 2020 was challenging to say the least.I was devastated when everything moved online. I love the partner work and couldn't see how this was going to work through video conferencing.The boys and Kim were okay with the new format and I hung in there. I was so happy once we were able to get back in the dojo again.Just before the lockdown I had purchased a punching bag, so at least we were able to do some outdoor contact punching.During the lockdown there was a kata competition and other programs, and we did get a few prices....but dojo definitely rules...We have managed to go to gradings...And I have kept all the grading certificated we have gotton...
21. January 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Tennis Award 21. January 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAnother encouragement award for Aiden. This time in Tennis...ShareAnother encouragement award for Aiden. This time in Tennis...
31. December 2020 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Covid 31. December 2020 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet2020 was definitely a bit different because of Covid.Australia managed to get through with very few Share2020 was definitely a bit different because of Covid.Australia managed to get through with very few outbreaks because of very early and sever lockdowns.This let people to panic buy. We spent the time to chill out and solve lots of puzzles in the evenings, do lots of exercise in the parks (which was still allowed), Karate online and work moving fully to conference calls.
31. December 2020 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Challenging year 31. December 2020 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThe last couple of years has been super challenging for Aiden all around.He is struggling all aroundShareThe last couple of years has been super challenging for Aiden all around.He is struggling all around and this photo tells it all. For myself I have been struggling equally, and had it not been for the release of karate I don't know where things would have been at. I often wish I had my own bucket to hide under. I don't think this year will be any easier unfortunately...
19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Boys artwork 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetLucas version of a Miro paintingShareLucas version of a Miro painting
19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Peter Pan 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetWe took the older children to see Peter Pan - this was their christmas/birthday presents.ShareWe took the older children to see Peter Pan - this was their christmas/birthday presents.
19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kims Birthday 2017 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare
19. September 2017 16:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Bedstefars visit 19. September 2017 16:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetMy dad was here earlier in the year visiting.ShareMy dad was here earlier in the year visiting.
19. September 2017 16:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Climbing with the boys 19. September 2017 16:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetWe have started to take the boys climbing occasionally. Especially Aiden enjoys it and is able to clShareWe have started to take the boys climbing occasionally. Especially Aiden enjoys it and is able to climb to the top without being afraid.
19. September 2017 16:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Lucas 5yo birthday 19. September 2017 16:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetLucas just had his 5th birthday.It was celebrated at the local park with his friends and we had hireShareLucas just had his 5th birthday.It was celebrated at the local park with his friends and we had hired an entertainer to do some activities with them.
19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aiden 7yo birthday 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetSome photos from Aiden 7th BirthdayHis party was at the climbing gym. Unfortunately he was sick on tShareSome photos from Aiden 7th BirthdayHis party was at the climbing gym. Unfortunately he was sick on that day, so didn't enjoy it as much as he could have.One of his presents was a crystal growing dragon - here is before and after.
19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aiden 7yo birthday 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetSome photos from Aiden 7th BirthdayHis party was at the climbing gym. Unfortunately he was sick on tShareSome photos from Aiden 7th BirthdayHis party was at the climbing gym. Unfortunately he was sick on that day, so didn't enjoy it as much as he could have.One of his presents was a crystal growing dragon - here is before and after.
19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Chinese New Year 2017 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetChinese new year with the boys.ShareChinese new year with the boys.
19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Funny faces 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetA couple of funny facesShareA couple of funny faces
19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aiden starting Year 1 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAiden is now in Year 1 at school. This photo is from his first day back at school.ShareAiden is now in Year 1 at school. This photo is from his first day back at school.
19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aidens missing teeth 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAiden lost his front teeth.ShareAiden lost his front teeth.
19. March 2017 16:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Zimbabwe - being chased by Leopards 19. March 2017 16:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetI just completed this photo of the boys about to be eaten by a leopard in the dark jungle.At the airShareI just completed this photo of the boys about to be eaten by a leopard in the dark jungle.At the airport in Victoria Falls they had these awesome stuffed animals that I though could be fun for some composite work.Trying to get the boys to act scared rather than just being silly was a different matter.Here are some more photos of the animals.
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 TweetTraveling with the two boys can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, but this time it actually went veShareTraveling 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 TweetThe West Coast National Park north of Cape Town is something special. During the spring all the SoutShareThe 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 ElandAnd 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 - Cape Town 2. March 2017 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetCape town is a nice place and fairly small by Sydney standards. Although very modern it still has anShareCape 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 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - Hout Bay 2. March 2017 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetHout Bay is just south of Cape Town - Besides from being a nice little fishing village it is also faShareHout 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 08:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa - Wine lands 2. March 2017 08:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetWe spent a day driving out through the wine lands around Cape Town, namely Stellenbosch and FranschhShareWe 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 TweetOne morning we went to the Cheetah Outreach centre outside Cape Town.Here they train dogs to keep wiShareOne 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 TweetThe Cape Peninsula is a beautiful area with nice views and little isolated beaches where ever you loShareThe 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.
29. November 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Struggling 29. November 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetI was struggling a lot this year, through a combination of things ranging from self worth, lack of sShareI was struggling a lot this year, through a combination of things ranging from self worth, lack of support, dealing with the boys, work and other things.Mid-year during the lockdown it hit hard.
7. April 2021 22:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Camping Glenworth Valley 7. April 2021 22:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetOver easter we went to Glenworth Valley for Camping. This location is about an hours drive north of ShareOver easter we went to Glenworth Valley for Camping. This location is about an hours drive north of Sydney in an easily accessible but beautiful little valley.It is private propoerty, so you have to book beforehand and it does get very busy. We were very lucky that we were located down at the end of the property where it was more quiet.In the evenings there were beautiful sunsets.In the morning it was a bit more misty in the valley.The owners also put on a great easter egg hunt for the children. There were hundreds of children with 20,000 chocolate eggs hidden in a field and there was an easter bunny riding a horse.We also spend time playing some ball sports. I'd brought a baseball bat and ball. Because we were four families, we had plenty of people to form two teams. It got very competitive and the bat took a bit of battering, so I had to go a buy a more solid wooden bat.In the evenings we had the normal campfire and baked dampers on sticks, marshmellows and baked potatoes in the fire.There are also lots of walks witin easy driving distance, including some walks with beautiful waterfalls.Also, people come to the valley for horse riding, so there are lots of horses in the surrounding paddocks.And wildlife such as Kookaburras!And going for a short stroll in the mornings was a beautiful experience with the mist and light changing.Because of lots of rain, the whole area had been flooded just weeks earlier. Where we were camping would have been a meter under water, but because of the river running through the area the water had fortunately receeded.
21. March 2021 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate 3rd Kyu 21. March 2021 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetI reached a significant milestone in karate this week. I graded for my 3rd Kyu (Brown belt) and at tShareI reached a significant milestone in karate this week. I graded for my 3rd Kyu (Brown belt) and at the same Kim graded for her 5th Kyu (Blue belt).On the occation I treated myself to a new dogi (karate uniform).I was so nervous and tense - and screwed up a few places. There is now a lot of hard work ahead to get to the 2nd Kyu which is at least another half a year away.Here are some photos from the grading. The ones from the dojo are a bit blurry because they weren't taken from my camera and I don't have the full resolution photos.
20. March 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate bruises 20. March 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetLast year was a tough year with Karate.First the lockdown meant that we had to go online for traininShareLast year was a tough year with Karate.First the lockdown meant that we had to go online for training, but even in the dojo I managed to get a lot of injuries.Some of them visible and some of them not so visible...I have a whole stack of scans and x-rays as souvenirs from this year.Some could have been avoided, but most are just part of the training.I even earned an award for it...The worst one was a kick to my chin. I dont have any photos of it, but I do have the indentation it made on my mouth guard I was wearing at the time. If it hadn't been for the mouthguard I am certain that I would have lost some teeth. This injury could have been avoided.I have now gone out to buy a new and way cooler mouthguard (I created the design myself). It is thors hammer in the middle surrounded by the Fenrir wolf and Midgaards Serpent.Even Kim got a few bruises.
13. March 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments My Burmese Dha swords 13. March 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetBack in the late 90's I visited Laos. In the northern corner of Laos I acquired two old swords from ShareBack in the late 90's I visited Laos. In the northern corner of Laos I acquired two old swords from a local.Through some forums I have tried to find out as much as I can about them and this is what I have been told:The swords are of a Burmese style called Dha (Means sword in Burmese).They are of museum worthy piecesI should NOT EVER attempt to restore them. This would degrade their value significantly.The flower script design on the swords are reserved for the rulers and officers of those days.အဲဒီဓားတွေကငါတို့ရဲ့ဗမာဓားတွေပဲလာအိုဆိုတာအရင်ကဇင်းမယ်လို့ခေါ်တယ်အင်းဝခေတ်မှာမြန်မာတွေတက်သိမ်းခဲ့တဲ့နိုင်ငံပဲဓားကိုငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓားလို့ခေါ်တယ်ဓားကဓားကောင်းပဲ အခုငါပြတဲ့ဓားဟာလည်းသမိုင်းဝင်ဓားပဲငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓားပေါ့ (Translation: These swords are our Burmese swords. Laos was formerly called Zin Mae, a country that was conquered by the Burmese during the Inwa period. The sword is called the Sword of the Bird. The sword is a good sword.).It's a Ngat kyee daung Dah the sword that was once used by Burmese warriors and Thai during the dark age of Konbaung (1765–1767). This Burmese Empire was destroyed during the English colonized to the East and totally wiped out by the English cannons kind of like a scene from the last samurai movie in the end! They were like charging to the enemy where they were being shot at.These are also antique pieces in a good state of preservation! Swords, even if they are in such good condition, belong in the museum. You have to take a look at the Malaysia Sword Museum! They are great specimenOne would have to analyze the material metal wood winding fibers would certainly be very interesting! You don't see such a bundle every dayThe handle on the smaller sword is made from wound rattan fibres.The larger sword is made from silver and wound silver threading (I believe it is the typical not so pure silver/tin that was used).This means that it is likely that the swords are up towards 250 years old and that the long one belonged to someone of a high status. The area they are from is a place that has been ravaged by war for several hundred years right from the wards beween Burma and Siam (Thailand), conquer by the English empire, the Second World War, the Chinese civil war through to the Laos Civil/Vietnam war.It is highly likely that the swords have seen some action. Although a bit rusty, the swords are still very sharp. Given that the blade on the longer sword is narrower at the hilt it is likely that it has been sharpened several times through history. Again this probably means that it had a practical use/purpose and wasn't just for display.
22. January 2021 01:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Newcastle 22. January 2021 01:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetBetween Christmas and New year we made a trip to Newcastle with the family.They had this beautiful lShareBetween Christmas and New year we made a trip to Newcastle with the family.They had this beautiful little animal park that is maintained by the council and is free to visit.Just outside Newcastle is fighterworld, which is an aircraft museum next to an active air strip.Newcastle museum was also worth a visit on a rainy day.One evening we went to the games arcade...no idea how Aiden managed to get a first place in racing.
21. January 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Karate 2020 21. January 2021 18:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetKarate during 2020 was challenging to say the least.I was devastated when everything moved online. IShareKarate during 2020 was challenging to say the least.I was devastated when everything moved online. I love the partner work and couldn't see how this was going to work through video conferencing.The boys and Kim were okay with the new format and I hung in there. I was so happy once we were able to get back in the dojo again.Just before the lockdown I had purchased a punching bag, so at least we were able to do some outdoor contact punching.During the lockdown there was a kata competition and other programs, and we did get a few prices....but dojo definitely rules...We have managed to go to gradings...And I have kept all the grading certificated we have gotton...
21. January 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Tennis Award 21. January 2021 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAnother encouragement award for Aiden. This time in Tennis...ShareAnother encouragement award for Aiden. This time in Tennis...
31. December 2020 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Covid 31. December 2020 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet2020 was definitely a bit different because of Covid.Australia managed to get through with very few Share2020 was definitely a bit different because of Covid.Australia managed to get through with very few outbreaks because of very early and sever lockdowns.This let people to panic buy. We spent the time to chill out and solve lots of puzzles in the evenings, do lots of exercise in the parks (which was still allowed), Karate online and work moving fully to conference calls.
31. December 2020 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Challenging year 31. December 2020 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThe last couple of years has been super challenging for Aiden all around.He is struggling all aroundShareThe last couple of years has been super challenging for Aiden all around.He is struggling all around and this photo tells it all. For myself I have been struggling equally, and had it not been for the release of karate I don't know where things would have been at. I often wish I had my own bucket to hide under. I don't think this year will be any easier unfortunately...
9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Various of the boys 9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare
9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kims old photos 9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetKims dad has some old photos hanging of Kim when she was little.This is Kims mum when she was young.ShareKims dad has some old photos hanging of Kim when she was little.This is Kims mum when she was young.This is Kims dad when he was young
9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Malabar headland 9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetMalabar headland is now open to the public. We have been there a few time now taking the kids walkinShareMalabar headland is now open to the public. We have been there a few time now taking the kids walking.Here are some photos from various walks.
9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Christmas 2016 - family photos 9. October 2017 12:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetHere are some more photos from Christmas 2016ShareHere are some more photos from Christmas 2016
9. October 2017 11:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Gerringong Family trip 9. October 2017 11:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetDuring the October long weekend we went to Gerringong 2 hours south of Sydney.The kids loved playingShareDuring the October long weekend we went to Gerringong 2 hours south of Sydney.The kids loved playing in the sand and water.We also visited one of the few vineyards in the area.It was Chong's birthday while we were there.One morning I made a stack of pancakes - they were all eaten.On the last day we went to Minnamurra rainforest.We also went to the Kiama blowhole - but not much action.
19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Illawarra airshow 2017 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThis year the airshow was on - we went there with the boys, highly recommended and will definitely fShareThis year the airshow was on - we went there with the boys, highly recommended and will definitely find time to go there next time.
19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Swimming Certificates 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare
19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments NRL - Sharks vs Cowboys 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetKA had some tickets for the lead-up final games for the NRL. I thought it could be fun to give the bShareKA had some tickets for the lead-up final games for the NRL. I thought it could be fun to give the boys the experience of seeing a game...especially Aiden was really into it.
19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aiden student of the week certificate 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare
19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Easter trip 19. September 2017 17:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAt easter we rented a house with the family again.ShareAt easter we rented a house with the family again.
15. September 2000 11:05 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments New Car in 2000 . . . 15. September 2000 11:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetnew car in 2000ShareIn September 2000, just after I returned from my trip to Borneo, I had to buy this new car because my girlfriend had written off my car whilst I was away! *smile* I did not look forward to hunting around for a new car, but I found a good buy locally. This car is a 1997 Ford Futura, with 4.0 litre, 6-cylinder, 220-horsepower, power-steering, central locking and electronic windows (I think I am starting to sound like a car advertisement...) It is pretty much the same colour as my old car, and it feels so nice to drive! As you can see, pretty similar, but I also really miss my old car! It had a lot of computerised features - from a digital odometer, to adjusting the internal temperature of the car. It was a pretty cool car and wished I could have kept it for another few more years. A huge contrast to my first car! It is a red hatchback that I bought early 1998, a few months after I arrived in Australia. But someone wrote it off a few months after I bought it. It was a pretty bad accident, but luckily I was alright. I was only covered by Third Party insurance, and to go through a lot of paperwork just to get reimbursement for the car!
15. August 2000 10:43 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Away from Headquarters . . . 15. August 2000 10:43 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetaway from headquartersShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillageAway from Headquarters . . .I managed to explore the villages at Silam. The people here wore this white stuff on their faces - I guess their form of sunscreen. These people were refugees from the Philippines. The kids were fighting to fit into the photo! The kids here were really cute.These kids here, had caught a monkey and was trying to sell it at the camp for 5 ringgit (AUD$2.50). No-one wanted to buy it because they knew if they bought it, and set it loose, the kids would just catch it again, and try to sell it. In general, there were lots of great photos at Silam village. One of the helicopter pilots was driving through the jungle roads, took a corner too fast, and had a minor mishap.We headed into Lahad Datu to get some seafood! An escape from camp food. Camp food was disgusting. There were live worms in the vegetables (yes, after cooked). Most of the food was not fresh, and was pretty boring. The seafood was fantastic here. Whenever we had the chance, we ate lots of seafood. Yum... Paul did not get to eat all of the crabs - all of us had a portion of it. Yummm... they were huge, but we did not eat them. They were too big for us to eat, pretty impressive though. They were the biggest lobsters I have seen in my life. We saw these at the same place we ate our seafood and frogs (below). We had this frog for dinner about 2 min after I took the photo. This was actually when I went out with Glen in Kota Kinabalu - he asked me to pick some food and to surprise him. I did not tell him till a year later that he ate frog meat. He asked me what it was, because he reckoned it tasted funny, but I did not tell him at the time. I think he will only eat it again. Only if he really had to. Petronis Towers - the tallest twin towers in the world. Actually, they are the tallest buildings in the world, followed by the Sears Towers in Chicago. The towers are joined by some sort pedestrian platform. These towers are located in Kuala Lumpur. I went to Kuala Lumpur to pick up my Permanent Residency for Australia. Woohoo!!! After 2 years of lots of paperwork, and correspondence back and forth with Berlin, I finally managed to get it! The inconvenience of it all, was that I actually had to leave Australia ie collect my PR before re-entering Australia. Below, is the only photo I have of the Lateral Linking Team that I worked with during the race. Back to TopReturn to Borneo HomepageCreated: 7 Dec 2001
15. August 2000 10:42 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Helicopters . . . 15. August 2000 10:42 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweethelicoptersShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillageHelicopters . . .The radio communications team had to arrive a few days before that because we had to hand out over 2,000 pieces of radio equipment. We had problems getting the necessary approvals for helicopters so they were grounded! I ended having to hand out most of the equipment as Glen and Paul had to sort out our use of the helicopters. We had to fly all the equipment to Silam before the start of the race, and our team managed to fly to Silam the day before the race started. Do you believe that Paul managed to take a photo of me whilst I was flying the chopper? He was standing to the side of me, and took the photo at night time, with the door open ... Just kidding. A couple of days before the race started, I was at the airport most of the day. We had some problems with the radios in the helicopters... I must have been in and out of those helicopters at least 200 times. I did manage to get someone to take some photos of me in a helicopter, looking very much like the pilot! I had hoped that I had the time to explore Kota Kinabalue, but we were so busy, it had to wait. Here is the 212 or "Huey" - a twin-turbine Vietnam helicopter taking off. It is a hell a lot more powerful than some of the other helicopters we were using, which were 206s. Here are the medical guys practising abseiling out of the helicopters (Aussie style)! At the start of the race, I was sitting there listening to the first rescue on the radio. 3 hours after the start, four boats had capsized... helicopters and boats were very busy! The competitors were due to arrive at Silam (another checkpoint) the next day (21st Aug). For the first few days after the race started, I had to help organise to get the fuel to the top of the mountain. After that the helicopter came in useful. It brought up 100 litres of fuel on the 4th day so I did not have to ferry fuel anymore! At the end of the race, we had to sling-load the repeaters, to get them off the mountain. That means we had to strap them onto the helicopters, and pull them off the mountains that way - quite effective really. Repeater station finally airborne! You can see a pole in the right photo. My girlfriend asked me what it was for - it helps balance the load so that it does not keep swinging whilst airborne. Below, you will see some pretty good photos from the chopper. Towards the end of the race, we had to scan the rivers for the last competitors coming in - to make sure they had completed this section of the race course. It was low-altitude flying of the river-bed. The photo on the left shows the chopper approaching Silam Village. This village was located just outside of Silam HQ. Glen liked wanted to have a photo of the back of my head - and I ruined the photo by turning my head as he took it... Here's a sunset shot of the helicopters flying around. I had to put in this fantastic photo - the lighting gives a really nice feel to the photo. Back to TopReturn to Borneo HomepageCreated: 7 Dec 2001
15. August 2000 10:42 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Wildlife in Borneo . . . 15. August 2000 10:42 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe wildlife in borneoShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillageThe Wildlife in Borneo . . .The jungles in Borneo are really dense, dark and humid. You will find that some of the photos look as though they have been over-exposed, but in reality, it is just the humidity in the air. I have a photo of this at home - Glen enlarged it for me, and framed it! Don't ask me why - I think I look rather wasted there. Glen and I tried to race through the jungle. The climb to the top of the mountain is rated as a 1.5 hour climb... Glen and I have done it in 26 minutes... actually I was confident that I could do it in less than 20 and so I did! I held the record of taking 17 minutes to race to the top of Mt Silam, covering a distance of approx 4 kilometres through the jungle, up a mountain. I was getting really fit (My girlfriend was proud of me). This photo shows how dense and dark the jungle can be. It was so humid there... no, not because I hadn't cleaned my lenses. You can see how muddy it is in the jungle - I became quite dirty after many trips into the jungle. I think these trees are just as big as the Californian Redwoods. They might not be as old, but definitely just as big. This was taken with a 300mm lens, from 1.5 metres. The most amazing thing about them, is when they are scared, the curl up into little "marbles". It looks like a small bug, but it is actually at least 7cm long, which is actually quite big. I noticed in Borneo, most of the insects there were huge. The wingspan of the brown moth was about 15cm wide - huge! They are mostly active at night, which is quite common for creatures in the jungle. A couple of the girls stationed in the jungles, was stationed here. Not a wise decision, considering these girls were paranoid about the insects. (Note: in the photo below, I still had conjunctivitis) I had the red eyes for most of the trip. Big and beautiful, don't you think? You can see how big the black moth is compared to the size of the telephone. These plants were kind of special because each branch split into two, so by the end of it, they formed a hexagonal pattern. Below, are plants known as the "pitcher" plant. The pitcher plants are meat-eating plants - you have watch out not to fall into them because they will swallow you whole. If you just believed that, you are very gullible! *laugh* The pitcher plant, like other carnivorous plants, feed on insects. They have sweet-smelling nectar that attract the unsuspecting insect to it. When the insect lands, it finds the surface slippery and fall straight into the “pitcher”, where the plants juices drowns it and is digested by the plant. You may have heard of other type of carnivorous plants such as the Venus Fly Trap, and the Sundew plants. Yes, you see me holding the snake with a leaf. It was a poisonous snake, and I was worried about it's venom getting on my skin. For example a puff adder, contact with the venom numbs the skin. I was not familiar with the snakes in Borneo, and was not about to risk it. The tarantella was sitting inside the catering tent hunting. Everyone was looking at it and admiring it, which was pretty amazing, considering I know many people who would willingly kill a spider in sight. Back to TopReturn to Borneo HomepageCreated: 7 Dec 2001
15. August 2000 10:41 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Repeater Stations . . . 15. August 2000 10:41 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetrepeater stationsShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillageRepeater Stations . . .Here, you see Paul and I transporting some of the repeater stations by air. From Silam, we flew down to DFVC. We stayed there for three days before going back to Silam. I am at one of the repeater sites. Here, the top of one of the mountains was cleared, so we could safely land a helicopter there. Oh... did I forget to mention that I almost chopped one of my fingers in half at the repeater site? On top of my infected eye, I had another thing for the medical team to look at. The fingernail had been chopped in half and there was not much I could do about it except clean it up and try to avoid infections. The medical team was great there... they were extremely good. We had a few problems with some of the communications gear. Paul and Glen were handling it, and at times I tried to assist. The first few days had been really tough. The top of Silam is covered in clouds for most of the afternoons, so the solar panels are quite useless. A survey of the conditions made prior to the race was useless. If you ask any of the locals, they would have told us that the peak is always covered in clouds... but apparently no-one asked them!!! We had problems keeping the generators running - they were using more power than predicted and there was no sun on the top of Silam to recharge the batteries. The generator itself was a re-built petrol engine with a car alternator on it. We basically tried to use a system where we used a jerry can, cut holes into it, and relied on the force of gravity to transport the fuel to the generator. This design ended up working best for us. Our helicopter pilot sitting on the side there, just grinning... On the third day of the race, I hiked up the mountain three times. I was really tired and all I could think of was getting a bit of a rest and some food. I managed to get a bit once I got to Danum. In Danum I managed to get 6 hours sleep before someone woke me up and told me that the repeater had died in Silam... again all the cars had to leave in a convoy... so rush, rush to find my driver and managed (just) to get into the convoy! The road to Danum closes at 6.30pm and all the cars had to go in the convoy. The helicopter flew all of us to the top of the mountain, and waited there for us till we were finished. Glen quite often told the pilot, "You don't have to shut down, because we'll only be here for 5 minutes." Well... quite often, we were there for as long as an hour and half! (Don't worry, the pilot was sensible enough to shut down immediately... he got to know Glen very well.) I went up there often make sure that it was still running. It is much better getting a helicopter to fly me up there so that I can bring some fuel with me ! Glen has mostly been on top of the mountain getting the generator back online. We have to keep the generator running 24 hours per day until the end of the race. On the third night after the race started, one of the repeaters went dead. I had to hike up the mountain on the previous day as the generator had died. I did not leave the mountain until it was dark, so I had to climb down through the jungle in the dark! Fortunately I had my torch with me! Paul later gave me strict instructions to make sure that I leave the mountain so that I could be back at HQ while there was still light! I found out that I did not have any problems navigating at night... I even offered Paul to go back up when the repeater died! Anyhow, we ended up having to send the airborne repeater up! Back to TopReturn to Borneo HomepageCreated: 7 Dec 2001
15. August 2000 10:41 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Competitors . . . 15. August 2000 10:41 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe competitorsShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillageThe Competitors . . .The competitors did not rest... three of the teams were half way through the 600 kilometre course after only three days... pretty amazing! Two of the teams were Australian. 18 teams were out of the race. At least 10 of these were due to medical problems. Hardly any people around here get enough sleep... the place is active 24 hours per day because there are always competitors coming in! I was keen to find out how the Danish team would turn out. At the beginning of the race, they were not very sociable. But by the end of the race, I think the tension of the race had gone, and I managed to have a chat with them. By the third day, the Danes are doing pretty well... they had a 22nd place! This was the mountain-bike leg of the race. The guy you see being transported to hospital in the helicopter (photos below), was doing this part of the race. He was rounding a corner on his bike and rode straight into a large branch. We had a lot of medical urgencies... we almost lost a guy with a punctured lung ! I got some great photos and helped getting the guy into the mobile hospital. There was a lot publicity on the website and through the media about it. Fortunately, he was only 15 minutes away from HQ, so it was possible for us to get him to the helicopter very quickly, and to the nearest hospital. Another leg of the race involved rowing in these “sampans”, a Malay term for “boat”. At some point, the teams in the race had to also split up - some of them swimming, some of them rowing, to complete the water leg of the race. Below, the competitors had to use a flying fox to cross the canyons. I managed to have a go at it - compared to rock-climbing... well, I found it pretty boring *smile*. I imagine most people would find it quite fun though. There are no places to climb here. I had hoped to take one of the helicopters to Madai Caves to check out the 200 metre abseil. The road to the Madai Caves lead directly through the tiny village of Gua Madai - a small cluster of homes, their wood bleached grey. The town’s main sources of income are tourism and birds’ nests. The nests are found high up the walls of the cave, tucked away in cracks and crevasses, and can command thousands of dollars. They are harvested about three times a year. My girlfriend mentioned trying "bird's nest soup" whilst I was there. She said normally the bird's nest they use belong to the swallow. It is a delicacy to many Asians, and similar to shark's fin soup - that is if you have tried it. Normally the nests are made out of the birds' saliva. There was so much rain at Silam that HQ was often flooded. Many of the competitors took the opportunity to get some sleep and the slept on whatever they could find. Back to TopReturn to Borneo HomepageCreated: 7 Dec 2001
15. August 2000 10:40 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Silam and Jungle Ops . . . 15. August 2000 10:40 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetsilam and jungle opsShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillageSilam and Jungle Ops . . .It is so bloody hot in Silam! It must have been at least 40 degrees and 100% humidity! Silam was the overall headquarters, and Danum Valley Field Centre (DVFC) was referred to as Jungle Ops. Jungle Ops controlled all radio communications and conducted the race through the the jungle. From Kota Kinabalu, we flew to Lahad Datu and drove the rest of the way to Silam. Silam was the site of one of the repeater stations. We had to set up a HQ a few kilometres from this station... heaps of opportunities for a few walks in the jungle. The operation at Silam was huge!... I had never seen such a busy place before. The place was crawling with energy. It was bigger than any military operation I had ever seen! You would be amazed to see the logistics involved in this project ! At the time I did not have the time to take a lot of photos. We had many army trucks transporting the competitors' equipment - very good cooperation from the military. They helped out with the preparation and set-up of HQ, and with the transportation of fuel. This is the headquarters on the left. The whole Ecochallenge race is governed from this office. The map in the background contains the position of all the checkpoints at which the competitors have to go through. Both of the above photos are aerial shots of HQ and were taken from a helicopter. I managed to get a nice aerial shot of Silam HQ. The big white patch in the middle is where the competitors stored all their equipment. Just to the left are the containers from where the race is controlled. The 4 'finger-like' white pads on the right are the heli-pads. The long rectangle to the left is the eating area, and just above it is the hospital. Approaching DVFC in helicopter. This is actually a research centre in the middle of the jungle - commonly known as DVFC (Danum Valley Field Centre). DVFC is not normally accessible the tourists and the general public, only to researchers. DVFC is concerned about contamination into the jungle. Outside Jungle Ops HQ. The green boxes contain bottled drinking water. By the time the race was over, most of this had been consumed - quite amazing really, considering there were really only 10 people at Jungle Ops. During the competitors were not allowed any help from us, and that included the provision of drinking water. Paul with some of the radio equipment at Silam. He is standing next to the HQ matrix, which contained all the communications equipment for headquarters. Paul is also standing next to the only 2 beds in the HQ building. These were used by the radio operators to nap in between shifts. Below, you see me sitting in the catering tent at Silam. I think it must have been a good day, to have been sitting there, smiling... I am just guessing here, because obviously I did not take the photo, and I cannot remerber the place. Bad hair day? I did not have a shower for a very long time, and to hold my hair in place, I adopted various techniques, such as the sunglasses-hairband... This place is a breathing ground for tropical diseases! As you can see, my right eye is really red. I somehow managed to get conjunctivitis and did not know it was contagious. I did not want to trouble the medics as they were pretty tied up with the competitors. When my vision on the left eye was getting blurry and I had problems seeing what was in front of me, I was ordered to get it checked. Just as well I did! In Kota Kinabalu, I had the same problem on the other eye... at one point both my eyes were infected. It started on my left eye on the way to Kota Kinabalu in the plane ! It then spread to my right eye. The nurse at Silam told me that I should be careful because it could re-infect to my left eye. It started to look and feel a lot better after using the eyedrops that they gave me. Back to TopReturn to Borneo HomepageCreated: 7 Dec 2001
15. August 2000 10:39 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Preparations at the Magellan Hotel 15. August 2000 10:39 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetpreparations at the magellan hotelShareEcochallenge ( Sabah 2000 )ArrivalSilam / Jungle OpsRepeater StationsThe CompetitorsHelicopterJungle Around UsThe VillagePreparations 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 Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal Blog Portfolio Packages Contact About Home 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aswan Dam 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetaswan damShareThe High Dam was built in the 1970s. It was higher and wider than the old Aswan Dam.At its highest point, the High Dam was 111m high, 3.8km long and 980m wide at the base. It was built with 3 times as many stones that was used to build Cheops' Pyramid.The High Dam is a high-security military area so no video cameras were allowed. Should the High Dam be destroyed, than most of Egypt will be under water and it would be a disaster for the country.Lake Nasser is a man-made lake to the south, created as a result of the building of the High Dam. Because of this lake, some great monuments, villages and many of the Nubian tribes had to be moved or they would have been submerged under water. I think much history has been lost to these waters. This temple had to moved onto higher ground after the High Dam was built. Created: Dec 2004Last Updated: 24-Jan-2005 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Alabaster Factory 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe alabaster factoryShareThis alabaster factory was one of Adam's commission-based stops. Alabaster is a cheaper type of marble - the corridors of the Mohammed Ali Mosque was made of this marble, as was the small sphinx statue in Memphis. It was also used for King TutAnkhAmun's canopic jars Created: Dec 2004Last Updated: 24-Jan-2005 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Streets of Luxor (cont....) 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetstreets of luxor contShare 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Rooftop 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe rooftopShare 14. November 2004 02:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Streets of Luxor 14. November 2004 02:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetstreets of luxorShare 14. November 2004 02:08 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Luxor 14. November 2004 02:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of luxorShare 14. November 2004 02:07 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another Part 3 14. November 2004 02:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to another part 3Share 14. November 2004 02:06 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another Part 2 14. November 2004 02:06 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to another part 2Share 14. November 2004 02:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another 14. November 2004 02:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to anotherShare 14. November 2004 02:02 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Tomb of Nobles 14. November 2004 02:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettomb of noblesShare << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts12...808182838485868788...9293Older posts SearchInclude comments in search Newsletter Get notified when a new post is published. Enter your e-mail Please enter an e-mail address Please enter a valid e-mail Thank you Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal Blog Portfolio Packages Contact About Home 2. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Onsen Osaka 2. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetWhile in Japan we had to try a traditional Japanese bathhouse. We found a small one in the suburbs oShareWhile in Japan we had to try a traditional Japanese bathhouse. We found a small one in the suburbs of Osaka that had good reviews and was also suited for the boys.As most of the bath houses men and women are in different sections, so I took the boys with me which was a fun experience for them.The bath house had a section that was full of yellow rubber ducks, and the boys spent a fair amount of time playing with them.It also had a lot of other pools that varied from really hot to freezing cold pools as well a various mineral baths with water pumped up from deep underground.It is difficult to describe the feeling, but both Kim and I felt amazing afterwards. No photos allowed inside, so the outside and the poster at the local trans station will have to do. 2. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Universal Studios Osaka 2. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetIn Osaka we went to the Universal Studios theme park. It was just before Halloween, so everywhere inShareIn Osaka we went to the Universal Studios theme park. It was just before Halloween, so everywhere in the park people were dressed up in 'scary' costumes.After dark the park put on the most amazing zombie show with hundreds of actors and dancers dressed up as zombies - No One celebrates Halloween like the Japanese - amazing!!!! 1. April 2019 20:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Nara 1. April 2019 20:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetNara is an area a couple of hours outside Kyoto that is full of temples and deer roaming the streetsShareNara is an area a couple of hours outside Kyoto that is full of temples and deer roaming the streets.It has a massive temple with one of the pillars with a hole in it. Apparently if you can squeeze through then you are enlightened.The deers are good fun although Kim and and boys took a while to get used to them. 1. April 2019 18:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Nijo-jo Castle Kyoto 1. April 2019 18:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThis castle is close to the centre of the city. It is quite big and lit up at night. Out hotel was jShareThis castle is close to the centre of the city. It is quite big and lit up at night. Out hotel was just around the corner so we passed it almost every day.We didn't go inside it as there were too many other things to see. 1. April 2019 18:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Other Kyoto temples 1. April 2019 18:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThere are lots of temples in Kyoto. This is mainly because the city wasn't bombed during the second ShareThere are lots of temples in Kyoto. This is mainly because the city wasn't bombed during the second world war.For historical reasons they are mostly outside the city centre in the hills - apparently they were banned from the city centre long time ago due to the monks growing influence. 1. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) Kyoto 1. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThe golden pavillion in Kyoto is one of the most iconic sights in Kyoto. It is a small zen temple suShareThe golden pavillion in Kyoto is one of the most iconic sights in Kyoto. It is a small zen temple surrounded by a beautifully manicured landscape.It is however very touristy with large tour buses and large crowds, but still worth the visit. 1. April 2019 09:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Asiyama at Kyoto 1. April 2019 09:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAsiyama is on the outskirts of Kyoto and this is where people go to see the Bamboo forest but there ShareAsiyama is on the outskirts of Kyoto and this is where people go to see the Bamboo forest but there is also lots of other things to see in the area such as monkeys and more traditional sights such as temples.The bamboo forest itself is very crowded and the foot paths are fenced in and to be honest there are so many bamboo forests in Japan in the land districts that it is hard to see why this particular forest is so special.It is lovely to see people in traditional kimono's being transported in rickshaws.From the place where there are monkeys, there is also a view of all of Kyoto. 1. April 2019 09:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Gion District in Kyoto 1. April 2019 09:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThe Gion district in Kyoto is the traditional Geisha district and one of the very few places in JapaShareThe Gion district in Kyoto is the traditional Geisha district and one of the very few places in Japan where it is still possible to spot Geishas and see them perform.It is a lovely little district with all its narrow lanes and old traditional wooden buildings.We went there a late afternoon and were lucky enough to see a couple of Geishas heading out to perform.Later in the evening we went to a performance where they both had Geishas perform as well as some traditional Japanese theatre, comedy and tea ceremony. 28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kanasawa Castle - Japan 28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare 28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kanasawa Geisha District - Japan 28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts12...67891011121314...9293Older posts SearchInclude comments in search Newsletter Get notified when a new post is published. Enter your e-mail Please enter an e-mail address Please enter a valid e-mail Thank you
14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aswan Dam 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetaswan damShareThe High Dam was built in the 1970s. It was higher and wider than the old Aswan Dam.At its highest point, the High Dam was 111m high, 3.8km long and 980m wide at the base. It was built with 3 times as many stones that was used to build Cheops' Pyramid.The High Dam is a high-security military area so no video cameras were allowed. Should the High Dam be destroyed, than most of Egypt will be under water and it would be a disaster for the country.Lake Nasser is a man-made lake to the south, created as a result of the building of the High Dam. Because of this lake, some great monuments, villages and many of the Nubian tribes had to be moved or they would have been submerged under water. I think much history has been lost to these waters. This temple had to moved onto higher ground after the High Dam was built. Created: Dec 2004Last Updated: 24-Jan-2005
14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Alabaster Factory 14. November 2004 10:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe alabaster factoryShareThis alabaster factory was one of Adam's commission-based stops. Alabaster is a cheaper type of marble - the corridors of the Mohammed Ali Mosque was made of this marble, as was the small sphinx statue in Memphis. It was also used for King TutAnkhAmun's canopic jars Created: Dec 2004Last Updated: 24-Jan-2005
14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Streets of Luxor (cont....) 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetstreets of luxor contShare
14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments The Rooftop 14. November 2004 02:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetthe rooftopShare
14. November 2004 02:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Streets of Luxor 14. November 2004 02:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweetstreets of luxorShare
14. November 2004 02:08 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Luxor 14. November 2004 02:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of luxorShare
14. November 2004 02:07 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another Part 3 14. November 2004 02:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to another part 3Share
14. November 2004 02:06 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another Part 2 14. November 2004 02:06 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to another part 2Share
14. November 2004 02:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Temple of Philae - Moved from One Island to Another 14. November 2004 02:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettemple of philae moved from one island to anotherShare
14. November 2004 02:02 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Tomb of Nobles 14. November 2004 02:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweettomb of noblesShare
2. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Onsen Osaka 2. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetWhile in Japan we had to try a traditional Japanese bathhouse. We found a small one in the suburbs oShareWhile in Japan we had to try a traditional Japanese bathhouse. We found a small one in the suburbs of Osaka that had good reviews and was also suited for the boys.As most of the bath houses men and women are in different sections, so I took the boys with me which was a fun experience for them.The bath house had a section that was full of yellow rubber ducks, and the boys spent a fair amount of time playing with them.It also had a lot of other pools that varied from really hot to freezing cold pools as well a various mineral baths with water pumped up from deep underground.It is difficult to describe the feeling, but both Kim and I felt amazing afterwards. No photos allowed inside, so the outside and the poster at the local trans station will have to do.
2. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Universal Studios Osaka 2. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetIn Osaka we went to the Universal Studios theme park. It was just before Halloween, so everywhere inShareIn Osaka we went to the Universal Studios theme park. It was just before Halloween, so everywhere in the park people were dressed up in 'scary' costumes.After dark the park put on the most amazing zombie show with hundreds of actors and dancers dressed up as zombies - No One celebrates Halloween like the Japanese - amazing!!!!
1. April 2019 20:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Nara 1. April 2019 20:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetNara is an area a couple of hours outside Kyoto that is full of temples and deer roaming the streetsShareNara is an area a couple of hours outside Kyoto that is full of temples and deer roaming the streets.It has a massive temple with one of the pillars with a hole in it. Apparently if you can squeeze through then you are enlightened.The deers are good fun although Kim and and boys took a while to get used to them.
1. April 2019 18:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Nijo-jo Castle Kyoto 1. April 2019 18:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThis castle is close to the centre of the city. It is quite big and lit up at night. Out hotel was jShareThis castle is close to the centre of the city. It is quite big and lit up at night. Out hotel was just around the corner so we passed it almost every day.We didn't go inside it as there were too many other things to see.
1. April 2019 18:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Other Kyoto temples 1. April 2019 18:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThere are lots of temples in Kyoto. This is mainly because the city wasn't bombed during the second ShareThere are lots of temples in Kyoto. This is mainly because the city wasn't bombed during the second world war.For historical reasons they are mostly outside the city centre in the hills - apparently they were banned from the city centre long time ago due to the monks growing influence.
1. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) Kyoto 1. April 2019 13:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThe golden pavillion in Kyoto is one of the most iconic sights in Kyoto. It is a small zen temple suShareThe golden pavillion in Kyoto is one of the most iconic sights in Kyoto. It is a small zen temple surrounded by a beautifully manicured landscape.It is however very touristy with large tour buses and large crowds, but still worth the visit.
1. April 2019 09:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Asiyama at Kyoto 1. April 2019 09:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetAsiyama is on the outskirts of Kyoto and this is where people go to see the Bamboo forest but there ShareAsiyama is on the outskirts of Kyoto and this is where people go to see the Bamboo forest but there is also lots of other things to see in the area such as monkeys and more traditional sights such as temples.The bamboo forest itself is very crowded and the foot paths are fenced in and to be honest there are so many bamboo forests in Japan in the land districts that it is hard to see why this particular forest is so special.It is lovely to see people in traditional kimono's being transported in rickshaws.From the place where there are monkeys, there is also a view of all of Kyoto.
1. April 2019 09:10 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Gion District in Kyoto 1. April 2019 09:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetThe Gion district in Kyoto is the traditional Geisha district and one of the very few places in JapaShareThe Gion district in Kyoto is the traditional Geisha district and one of the very few places in Japan where it is still possible to spot Geishas and see them perform.It is a lovely little district with all its narrow lanes and old traditional wooden buildings.We went there a late afternoon and were lucky enough to see a couple of Geishas heading out to perform.Later in the evening we went to a performance where they both had Geishas perform as well as some traditional Japanese theatre, comedy and tea ceremony.
28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kanasawa Castle - Japan 28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare
28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kanasawa Geisha District - Japan 28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments TweetShare