Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

10. September 2007 05:39
by Rene Pallesen
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Birthday Party

10. September 2007 05:39 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Because Kim and I was busy travelling we never really managed to hold a birthday party where friends were invited along.

So, in mid august we held a small party celebrating Kim's, Luke's and My birthday.

Kim and Luke has got birthday on the same day and I was out travelling at that time, and on my birthday we went skiing in the Snowy Mountains.

It was a fun evening at a nice Thai restaurant in North Sydney. Click here to see more pictures from: Birthday party

11. August 2007 10:03
by Rene Pallesen
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The Gold Coast - Microsoft TechEd

11. August 2007 10:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This week I went to The Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise) to work on our stand at TechEd. This is our biggest marketing push of the year and gives us a chance to talk to more than 2000 people over the 4 days of the conference.

To attract people to our stand we had hired to girls to hand out brochures regarding our price draw. This turned out to be really effective. They managed to hand out 1500 brochures in just one hour so we had to get more printed for the second day. And a lot of people came to visit our stand to see what we were all about.

Click here to see more photos from The Cold Coast

It is pretty hard work. Most days start at around eight in the morning and generally didn't finish until around nine at night..and during this time there is a constant flow of people through the stand and constantly people to talk to.

On the last evening Microsoft hosted the TechEd party at MovieWorld...free rides, free drinks and lots of actors dressed up at star wars and star trek characters. None of my colleagues wanted to go, so I went by myself and did some of the rides and alng the way I bumped into various people I knew at the conference.

And it was a pretty good fun evening and I took a lot of cool photos, so I recommend you see the rest of the photos in the gallery...just click on one of the photos or on the link provided below.

But tell you what...it is really nice being back in Sydney where Kim is.

Click here to see more photos from: The Gold Coast

11. August 2007 09:51
by Rene Pallesen
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Playing Golf at The Coast golf club

11. August 2007 09:51 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Sunday Kim, Luke, Sasha and I went to The Coast to play golf. It is a beautiful course located along the cliffline of Little bay.

I had just received my new golf clubs (Cobra S9's) and that needed some adjustment so I didn't play particular well, but I had a good day out nevertheless.

Kim at The Coast

A lot of the shots on the course are over the water which can be a bit intimidating if you play the course for the first time...but once you have played it a few times then it is not so bad.

Sasha on Hold #14

The day before I was climbing with Andy at Berowra. It is normally difficult to get him outside climbing, but since he went climbing at Krabi in Thailand during his holiday he's been hooked. Berowra is one of the local Sydney Crags located about 30 minutes drive north of the city centre. It is not a tall cliff line, but a lot of the climbs are very crimpy and there is a lot of variation in the climbs.

Andy at Berowra

30. July 2007 12:56
by Rene Pallesen
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Skiing Australia 2007

30. July 2007 12:56 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This weekend it was my birthday and it also happened to be the ski peak season here in Australia.

Click here to see more photos from Skiing in Australia

(click here for more photos)

A group of us rented a house in Cooma not too far away from the ski fields and apart from a few mechanical problems with my car we had a blast of a time. On the Saturday we went to Perisher. The snow was perfect and a lot of the runs hadn't been groomed so it was still deep powder snow that we were skiing in.

Kim, Luke and Karen took lessons in the morning and later in the afternoon I went for a couple of runs with Luke (Soeren didn't make it to the ski area that day). In the evening we were watching a video (I fell asleep 15 minutes into it), and we had birthday cake and wine/beer.

The day after all of us went to Thredbo (which in my opinion is much better) and I was skiing with Soeren all day. The girls were having fun skiing down in the beginners area and Luke was skiing by himself higher on the mountain.

We left Thredbo at around 3.30pm and arrived back home in Sydney at around 10.15pm....a long drive.

I took a couple of videos of Soeren and myself skiing:
Video of Rene Skiing #1
Video of Rene Skiing #2
Video of Soeren Skiing #1
Video of Soeren Skiing #2

Click here to see more photos from: Skiing in Australia/SlideShow

11. July 2007 04:34
by Rene Pallesen
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Denmark 2007

11. July 2007 04:34 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Ok, it is not just in Holland that they steal with arms a legs. I am not proud to admit that the same seems to happen in Denmark (my birth country)...but more about that later.

After Holland I flew a quick trip to Denmark. On the way there in Heathrow Airport I met up with Kim who had spend a couple of days in London with a couple of friends. I was really looking forward to introducing her to my parents.

My flight arrived a bit late in London so we arrived to Copenhagen without my luggage which turned up the following day.

All the time while in Denmark it was pouring with rain, but we did have one good day in Copenhagen where Kim got to see the sights Fredriksborg Slot, The Marble church, Amalienborg, City Square and City Hall, Stroeget, The little Mermaid, Runde Taarn, Tivoli and Gefion Springvandet. We had lunch at Kultorvet and here Kim got her handbag stolen by a very professional bag snatcher (Latin American or Eastern European looking, dark short hair, wears a dark green suit and will sit down at the table next to you and talk on his mobile. When he leaves he will take your bag).

Click here to see more photos from Denmark

We also spent a couple of days at my grandmothers place where we we had a look at Koldinghus and Trapholt. Kim got to meet most of the family in Jutland (The family on my Dads side).

Click heer to see more photos from Denmark

My cousin had a child recently and the christening was taking place while we were visiting, so it gave us an excuse to visit my grandmother.

On the way back from Jutland we visited my Uncle and Auntie Eli and Henning on their farm and also had a look at their windmill.

One day we went also sailing up through Guldborgsund with my dad and we also went a quick trip to Germany one afternoon with the ferry.

It was good to see my parents again, but I also realise that apart from them there is not much left for me in Denmark and I would never be able to live the same lifestyle in Denmark as I do in Sydney Australia.

I took a number of videos while in Denmark and also a lot of photos. I can recommend that you click on the following links to see more from Denmark.

Video of my Uncles Windmill #1
Video of my Uncles Windmill #2
Video of my Uncles Windmill #3
Video of Kim and my dad picking strawberries
Video of sailing with my dad #1
Video of sailing with my dad #2
Video of sailing with my dad #3
Click here to see more photos from:Denmark/ Slideshow

22. June 2007 06:58
by Rene Pallesen
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Holland 2007

22. June 2007 06:58 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

After my stay in Athens Greece I am now in Vianen in Holland where our European office is. The purpose with my stay here is to do a bit or coordination and do some planning.

Vianen is about 45 minutes drive south of Amsterdam not too far from Utrect. I am staying at the only hotel in Vianen which is located 3-4 kilometers from the office, but fortunately I have been able to borrow one of the company cars.

Vianen really is in the middle of no-where. It is a sleepy little town with no major attractions.

The hotel here is really weird. None of the floors meet and the numbering system of the rooms is all over the place. It is generally faster to get from one room in the hotel to another by always taking the lift to the ground floor, exit the hotel, enter it elsewhere and then take the lift up again...at least the ground floor is always on the same level.

The room itself is nice enough. When I wake up in the morning i wake up looking at a cow paddock with a couple of horses wandering around...did I say that this is out in the sticks?

Click here to see more photos from Holland

People in holland steal with their arms and legs. Yesterday I asked to get an ironing board and an iron brought to my room.They told me that they could not do that (could be because of the mile long walk from the reception but I don't think so, because the room also don't have an alarm clock and the tv is bolted to the table) and they told me that they now had a special ironing room. The iron and ironing board was bolted with a big chain to the wall.

The only positive thing about the hotel is that the breakfast is pretty nice (dinner isn't) and the internet is reasonably priced at 25 Euros for a week.

Its is nice to catch up with colleagues although the schedule is pretty busy here. I interviewed a couple of people for the office here and we are going to give an offer to one of the guys.

Also a couple of the restaurants in Vianen itself are fairly decent and the fact that I could borrow a car meant that I could get around a bit.

12. June 2007 07:35
by Rene Pallesen
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Greece 2007

12. June 2007 07:35 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Here in mid June I am in Greece assisting one of our partners on a project involving our software.

I arrived Sunday evening and started working Monday morning with the partner. One of my colleagues Karsten is also here and last night we went to this fantastic restaurant called moorings.

It is the most fantastic setting right next to the sea, and the food was fantastic. My starter was goats cheese wrapped in prosciutto ham baked in the oven and then served on a bed of wild mushrooms. For mains I had Grober (a fish) and it was really nice. The servings were massive so no chance of leaving hungry. It was a pity that Kim wasn't there joining me...she would have loved the place. The whole dinner including a bottle of wine, pre-dinner drinks for two people amounted to approximately 135 Euros which is really cheap considering the food and the setting.

During the week Karsten and I have been pretty busy assisting the partner on the project. Later in the week they requested to get some more of my time to assist them. Since Athens is a nice place to be (more interesting than Vianen anyway) I as happy to stay. This means that my stay will ten days in total before continuing to Holland.

During the weekend I had time to do some windows shopping along Ermou street and in the Athens Flea markets as well as visit the Unknown soldiers grave.

Click here to see more photos from Athens

After that I continued up to see the Acropolis.

I was in Greece and Athens about 15 years ago and managed to see a lot of things, but it was nice with a bit of a refresher. One of the things I particularly remember from Acropolis is the Porch of the Maidens.

One evening around sunset on the weekend I walked up this hill close to the hotel that has a small chapel on top. There were also a couple of restaurants up there so I decided to sit down and have dinner. The evening view from the hill was fantastic with a view of Acropolis lit up as well as all of the lights of Athens all the way to Pireus.

Click here to see more photos from Greece

Click here to see more photos from: Athens / Slideshow

21. May 2007 12:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Golf at Wakehurst Golf Course

21. May 2007 12:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Sunday afternoon Kim, Luke and I went playing golf at Wakehurst Golf Glub near Manly.

It was the first time on this course and it was in perfect condition and a very scenic course.

Luke joined us and managed to loose a fair amount of balls until he figured out that he should keep his head down to be able to hit the ball. After this he was able to play a fairly decent game...which was excellent, because I had been giving him a bit of a hard time until then (especially after being 30 minutes late for the game).

I think I managed to play the first none holes 7-8 strokes over par.

After the first nine holes Kim and I continued on our own and managed to play an additional 6-7 holes before it got to dark to play (and Kim was starving).

I recorded a couple of videos of us playing. Click on the links below to download them:
Me playing golf (first movie)
Me playing golf (second movie)
Kim Playing golf
Luke playing golf

17. May 2007 10:41
by Rene Pallesen
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Australian Drought

17. May 2007 10:41 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Since 1998 we have had a drought in Australia. The water supply in Sydney has been declining ever since and early may 2007 the supply was down to around 30% with only about 8 months supply left.

On the 17th of May it started raining in most parts of NSW and in many areas the drought now seems to be either over or at least less serious. Here is a radar photo from that day:

The day the drought was over

Our water supplies in Sydney are now up to 57% and still rising. It would be fantastic if we could reach 100%, but we would need a fair bit of rain still.

It also means that there is snow falling in the Snowy Mountains, so the skiing season has already kicked in with plenty of natural snow.

15. May 2007 10:52
by Rene Pallesen
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Romantic Dinner

15. May 2007 10:52 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

A couple of months ago I took Kim out on this really romantic dinner. She was really impressed with my ability to choose the best places in town. I am writing this post so that all you other blokes (or Sheila's) out there can do the same for your loved ones.

The place I took her to is this really romantic waterfront restaurant placed on some of the most expensive realestate in Sydney. The cousine is traditional Australian but this place is famous throughout the world and regularly appear in magasines.
The food is very reasonably priced and it is almost always possible to get a seat right next to the water. In the evening the waterfront seating is dimly lit and has got enough privacy for some kisses and some cuddles.

A lot of famous people have visited the restaurant and they have got photos of some of the people such as Richard Branson (Virgin), John Travolta (Actor,Grease) and many more. The restaurant has got a rich history and has been in this area for many decades now.

The service is quick and polite. The restaurant is BYO so I can recommend bringing a good Australian wine or even a couple of chilled beers on a warm summer night. The restaurant doesn't even charge corkage like other prime restaurants do.

On valentines day this restaurant still does a-la-carte at their normal prices where other restaurants either have set menus or inflate their prices.

Being on a tight budget is no excuse not to go to this place. They have got food that will fit in any budget and I find it hard to believe that you will leave the place hungry. After dinner go for a romantic stroll along the water and you will have won the heart of your loved one (I did).

Click here to see where the restaurant is

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22. February 2017 19:02
by Rene Pallesen
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South Africa - Penguins at Boulders Beach

22. February 2017 19:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Going to Boulders Beach with all the penguins was a fun experience for the boys.

There were lots of nesting penguins and they are more agile than you think, jumping between the rocks on the beach (notice how the penguin below is airborne).

They sit on their nests until the eggs hatch.

and they stay with the young ones after they hatch too.

And once in a while a seagull gets lucky and steals one of the eggs.

There are hundreds of them on the beach.

And they are right next to the path.

The whole area was covered in smoke from a massive bush fire up in the hills, so our eyes were watering and hurting by the end of it.

Despite the smoke I still managed to get a good photo of this beautiful flightless bird.

21. February 2017 20:02
by Rene Pallesen
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South Africa - Cafe Africa Cape town

21. February 2017 20:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In the evening we went to Cafe Africa. This is a nice little cafe serving authentic African cuisine in the middle of Capetown. The menu was a 16 course degustation type menu with all you can eat of food from all over Africa.

They came around to do a bit of face painting and later there was drumming and dancing from the staff.

21. February 2017 19:02
by Rene Pallesen
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South Africa - Bo Kaap

21. February 2017 19:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On the way down from Table Mountain we visited Bo Kaap.

This is a predominantly muslim neighbourhood with some very colourful houses.

Great as a backdrop for photographing the most beautiful girl I know.

And also the most handsome boys.

21. February 2017 19:02
by Rene Pallesen
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South Africa - Table Mountain

21. February 2017 19:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

After Kruger we flew to Capetown.

The first day we went to Table Mountain. The mountain is often covered in clouds, and with a beautiful hot day we though we'd make the most of it and head up there when we had the opportunity.

The queue getting up there with the cable car was massive, several hundred metres. We quickly learned that the queue for people who had pre-purchased tickets was shorter and also moved faster than the other queue. We quickly jumped across to the other queue and using my mobile I purchased tickets while we were still waiting.

The view from up there is amazing and the top is actually a lot flatter than I though it would be.

20. February 2017 20:02
by Rene Pallesen
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South Africa - Shangana Village

20. February 2017 20:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One evening at Hazyview we went to a local cultural village of the Shangana Tribe.

First we went to the village itself and were introduced to local food and customs.

The local witch doctor showed us some of the local medicines they used for stomach pains etc.

Afterwards we were entertained by local drumming and dancing in a large hut. Beforehand they had to warm up the drum skins to make them the right tune.

But first we were greeted by the chief of the village.

One of the dances was the boot dance which they danced in the mines of South Africa during the Apartheid.

After the show we had a very traditional and yummy communal dinner as guest of the chief.

20. February 2017 20:02
by Rene Pallesen
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South Africa - Moholoholo car museum

Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

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30. December 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Christmas 2021

30. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This Christmas was almost normal with the Covid restrictions lifted.

As usual we did our annual Christmas photo.

Kims dad is staying at Kims sisters place over Christmas after haing been in hospital. He is looking the best he has for years.

29. December 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Surfing 2021

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Lucas and Aiden got themselves a surfing lesson. Aiden was too scared to go, but Lucas had a great time.

Because he liked it so much we decided to get him (and Aiden) a surfboard for Christmas as well.

29. December 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Various 2021

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This are from various events of 2021

Lucas Holy Communion

Lunar Esclipse

Swimming at Yarra Bay in the middle of winter

Aidens Learning award

Empty Maroubra Beach during covid lockdown

Seafood dinner with family

Chillies harvested from the garden

Cooking lobster at home during lockdown

Spotted Herbie in our local area

Monkeys in a tree

Playing games at home during Covid lockdown

Enjoying a hot chocolate during Covid lockdown

Boys make a mess and have to clean the house

Dinner at home during Covid lockdown

Conference call with family during Covid lockdown

How many people can you fit into a dinghy?

Pho at the local cafe

Going for a walk after Covid restrictions lifted

On a conference call with Dalai Lama from home

Kim received a Hoodie to keep her warm in the cold winter evenings. I thought it was something else and wrote instructions on the packaging.

Aidens birthday was bowling with his friends and dinner with family

Kim dressed appropriately for walking 20 meters to the car

The boys learning to use a hammer.

Spending time at Yarra bay

Aiden still struggling, although him now having a piano seems to help him.

Lucas got some more awards at the Athletics carnival to add to his swimming awards.

29. December 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Guinea Pigs

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We were looking after a couple of guinea pigs for a couple of weeks while one of Aiden friends was away.

The boys had to do all the work cleaning and feeding them.

29. December 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Karate 2021

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Again we did karate this whole year. This included a number of gradings followed by social events.

I treated myself to a new gi (uniform) when I graduated to my 3rd Kyu.

29. December 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Playing Chess

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Lucas has joined the chess club at school, so for fun (and to give him practice) we sometimes play. I was very proud that I one day managed to checkmate him with just two pawns and my king.

29. December 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Piano and Guitar

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Mid year I decided to get an electric piano. I've always wanted to learn and we wanted to boys to start playing as well.

We have been using an online lesson system and it has been working really well for us. Especially Aiden seems to pick it up quickly.

Aiden has also been begging to get an electric guitar, so this Christmas we got him one. It is fortunate that the same online lesson subscription also covers guitar playing.

29. December 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Kims 50th

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Kim had a big birthday this year. All the plans were ruined so it because a low key affair with just a family dinner.

Plan:

A - Europe trip - Covid cancelled

B - New Zealand Ski trip (travel bubble was open) - Cancelled day before we were to leave

C - Staycation in Sydney - Locked down to local council

D - Staycation in same council - Restricted to 5 Km radius

E - Dinner at home

We did however make up for it later with some golf and spa while she wasn't working.

29. December 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Hunter Valley

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We did another Hunter Valley Trip with Sasha and Richards families.

Again we stocked up on a lot of wine.

29. December 2021 16:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Basketball Game

29. December 2021 16:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

KA had some spare tickets for a basketball game between Sydney Kings and Melbourne Phoenix, so we took the boys.

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20. February 2017 20:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

At one of the private game reserved the owner maintains a little car museum with some very cool cars.

Especially this Ferrari 335S is interesting. If it is the real thing then it is one of only five ever made where the last one sold at an auction was sold for more that 30 million pounds.

20. February 2017 19:02
by Rene Pallesen
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South Africa - Hazyview Reptile park

20. February 2017 19:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One morning when it was raining at Hazyview we went to the local Reptile Park.

They had a large display of snakes and other reptiles, and also some interesting talks such as about Poisonous snakes.

One of the snakes they showed us was the African Puff Adder, which I remember as a really vicious snake from my days in Kenya. The snake handler certainly convinced me that it is not as aggressive as I thought by walking bare feet past it when it was all curled up really to attack.

19. February 2017 17:02
by Rene Pallesen
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South Africa - Moholoholo wildlife rehabilitation

19. February 2017 17:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Towards the northern end of Kruger there is a wildlife rehabilitation centre where injured animals are cared for before returned to the wild.

Some are unfortunately in a condition where they can never be returned and these are used for educating visitors on wildlife issues.

The guide on our tour around the centre was truly amazing, very funny and very knowledgeable.

Angry Lioness:

Leopard:

Cheetah:

Chevel Cat:

Lion:

Lion with Snack:

Painted Dogs:

Hyena:

Southern Ground Hornbill:

Eagles:

Voltures:

Honey Badger:

18. February 2017 15:02
by Rene Pallesen
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South Africa - Kruger National Park

18. February 2017 15:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In South Africa we did two days in the Kruger National Park.

The first day we hired a private guide to take us around in a 4WD and the second day we did a self drive.

With the guide we were lucky enough to spot all the Big 5 (Elephants, Lion, Leopard, Buffalo and Rhino). The advantage of a guide is that they are in constant radio communications with all the other cars and therefore can track the animals. On this day it was very hot and a lot of the animals were hiding in the bush and it seemed that we spotted all the animals and called it in to the other cars.

Having the private guide was a massive advantage as we could spend the time as we wanted, so we didn't spend much time on say elephants, but we did spend 45 minutes stalking a lion hoping it would get too hot under a bush and get out into the clear.

The second day we went it was raining and a lot more challenging, but we still spotted some that we didn't see the first day.

Camera wise I knew it would be a challenge to get good photos with a normal lens and didn't have the budget or justification to spend on a fast long lens. Instead all the photos in this post were taken with my 80-200 f2.8 with a 2x teleconverter. I used my tripod as a monopod and the guide was great at moving the car into spots where I had a clear line of sight (another advantage of not having to consider other passengers).

Here are the Big 5 we spotted.

Leopard:

Lion:

Rhinos:

Elephants:

African Buffalos:

And here are some of the others such as Zebras:

Hyenas:

Giraffes:

Impalas:

Kudu:

Waterbucks:

Wothhogs:

Baboons:

Monkeys:

Guinea Fowl:

African Fishing Eagles:

Storks:

Marabous:

Turtles (These ones are predators):

Weaver birds:

Chameleons:

17. February 2017 16:02
by Rene Pallesen
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South Africa - Panorama Route

17. February 2017 16:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On the first day in northern South Africa we drove the Panorama route. This is a beautiful drive up through the mountains and is full of scenic views of the Blyde River Canyon and waterfalls.

The most famous place is Bourkes Potholes.

And the Pinacle

But everywhere is full of beautiful scenery

11. November 2022 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Germany

11. November 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

While visiting my dad we made a daytrip to Burg in Germany. It is a short ferry ride.

10. November 2022 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Denmark - Ailu

10. November 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The boys joined a naming ceremony of my dads boat. It is named 'AILU' after AIden and LUcas.

9. November 2022 17:12
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Denmark - Cemetry

9. November 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We went past the Cemetry to where my Brother and Mum (Aiden and Lucas' Uncle and Grandmother) is burried.

While there we also say all the other ancestors on my Mum's side of the family back to Aiden and Lucas' Great-Great-Great-Great Grandmother and Grandfather.

8. November 2022 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Denmark - Tivoli

8. November 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One day in Denmark we went to Tivoli to see the christmas show.

Lucas got a ride pass so that he could jump on whatever ride he wanted, and Aiden was happy cheering.

We also saw the 'real' santa (Julemanden) and went past the Lego store.

7. November 2022 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Denmark - Snow

7. November 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

While in Denmark it was snowing for a couple of days. The boys love playing with it.

7. November 2022 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Denmark - Little Mermaid and Queen

7. November 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On the first day after arriving we went past the little mermaid from HC Andersens story and also past the residence of the queen, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary.

7. November 2022 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Denmark - Dads 80th birthday

7. November 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This year it was my dad's 80th Birthday. I took the boys back to Denmark to celebrate with him. Aiden has been once before when he was 1yo, and it was Lucas' first time.

This lady used to be my dads babysitter when he was just born (she is 92yo)

30. October 2022 16:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Soccer 2022

30. October 2022 16:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Both Aiden and Lucas were playing soccer again this winter.

Especially Lucas is starting to get pretty good when he gets 'hungry' to take the ball.

30. July 2022 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Skiing Thredbo 2022

30. July 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This year we took the boys skiing for the first time. They had been practicing their roller blades at home to get used to the motion, so it was a bit easier to get them started on the snow. It was the first time for the boys to see real snow.

We went with another family and stayed at Thredbo.

It also happened to be on my fiftieth.

13. July 2022 15:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Karate in Brisbane

13. July 2022 15:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In mid July the instructors of the Sydney dojo planned to visit the Brisbane dojo. They encouraged me to come along as I will be up for the next big grading soon and it would be a great introduction to some of the best instructors and karateka's in the country.

I also found the official lineage of our style listed on one of the boards.

7. November 2010 02:35
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden 5 Months

7. November 2010 02:35 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Today it is Aidens Birthday....he is now 5 Months old (when you are less than 6 months old you get to have birthday every month).

Aiden, Mummy & Daddy

He is a good/easy little boy. He is now able to keep his head up, but still unable to sit or roll around onto his tummy. He sleeps through the night and wakes up around 7.30 to get a feed. On weekends he is happy to go back to sleep so his Mummy and Daddy can sleep in.

He is very quiet when in crowded places and likes to just sit and observe (Kims dad is saying that he has got that after me).

It has taken me a long time to get this photo done. I had to wait for him to keep his head up and even then it was pretty hard to get hime to look in the right direction.

3. November 2010 11:50
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Water Portrait

3. November 2010 11:50 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I have now finished the second portrait in the series of the four elements...just Fire and Air left. This one is "Water". The yellow blob is a Weedy Sea Dragon.

...Really helping my Photoshop skills. Not sure if anyone else thinks these photos are cool...but they are cool to make and are different from what I'd otherwise be doing.

1. November 2010 09:50
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Fame - the musical

1. November 2010 09:50 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This weekend Kim and I went to see the musical Fame at Capitol theatre with a couple of friends Audrey and John.

Most of the cast was made up of dancers from “So you think you can dance” so there was a potential for a really good performance with some excellent dancing.

Our friends had organised a babysitter for the night and Aiden was being looked after by Kim’s dad and sister.

The performance was good (but not great). I think we were expecting more singing and dancing (It was a musical) and less dialogue. The second half of the play was a lot better than the first half with more dancing.

Unfortunately our friends missed this part as she was worried about their kid left alone with the babysitter (that is kinda the point of getting a babysitter) and left during the intermission.

At the end they got everyone in the audience up from their chairs for the famous "Fame" song.

Kim and I however had a good night out…and she looked smashing!

20. October 2010 11:11
by Rene Pallesen
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Self Portrait

20. October 2010 11:11 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Lately I have been playing around with Photoshop a lot more going through different tutorials.

Main purpose is to enable me to manipulate photos and add a different dimension to these photos. I have especially been trying to create some interesting profile photos that I can use of facebook and the like.

The portraits don't necessarily mean anything...mainly created them to see if I could do something out of the ordinary.The plan is to see if I can make a series Earth - Water - Fire - Air following the four basic elements.

It was really hard to get the starting photo right in my studio. It is almost impossible to do a photo of one-self and have it in focus...eventually Kim had to step in a help me (which I am very grateful for). In total it took me about 2-3 hours from start (taking the photo) to the finished result.

Portrait

18. October 2010 09:19
by Rene Pallesen
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Maroubra

18. October 2010 09:19 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Yesterday we went to the beach to have a coffee with a couple of friends. While Kim was catching up on all the gossip I went out to see if I could get some good photos of the surfers (The surf was pretty good that day).

18. October 2010 09:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Where to...Daddy???

18. October 2010 09:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On the weekend I had a bit of fun with Aiden. I bought a world map on email just so that I could take the following photos of him...

And this last photo I call "Is this where you grew up daddy??"

He is now 4 months old and still doesn't like being on his belly...so I had to be pretty quick with the setup.

18. October 2010 08:46
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Family Portaits

18. October 2010 08:46 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Sunday night Kim and I was looking after Ethan and Kayla while Chong and KC went out for dinner.

Kims dad and Dylan popped over for a couple of hours (Kims dad wanted to see Aiden ;-)) and after dinner and after Aiden was asleep I set up the studio to take some portraits of the kids. Main purpose was to experiment a little to improve my photography skills...especially my study of shadows (It is easy to light, but harder to create meaningful shadows).

Lately I have been doing more photography using all my flashes with wireless triggers to get interesting angles and effects. A couple of days ago I bought a couple of pieces of fabric in different colours (blue and red) to use as backgrounds and the following photos are a result of Sunday nights photoshoot.

I used one flash camera right in a 60*60 softbox, Hair light behind camera left snooted. In retrospect I should have taken my 3rd flash and used this to light the coloured backdrops to create better seperation...the highlights above are done in Post processing.

27. September 2010 12:21
by Rene Pallesen
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Fire Devil fun

27. September 2010 12:21 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I had a bit of fun on the weekend and spent a little time using photoshop doing something different for a self portrait. Just a bit of fun for a Facebook profile photo.

It took me about 5 minutes to take the photo and about 25-45 in photoshop to modify the image.

After taking the image I modified the background, de-saturated the colours, saturated the green colours, added the cat-eye contact lenses and extended the canine teeth slightly...done! Not perfect, but good enough for what I wanted to try and accomplish.

19. September 2010 10:31
by Rene Pallesen
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Surf's-up at Maroubra

19. September 2010 10:31 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This week there was a big low pressure system of the coast of Tasmania resulting in 18 meter waves there. It was predicted that some of this swell would hit Sydney this weekend resulting in 3-4 meter waves on south facing beaches. This Saturday morning I went down to Maroubra to have a look...The waves weren't as big as I had expected, but there were lots of surfers there and I did manage to take a couple of reasonable photos (I may try again tomorrow).

I am sure that there were a lot of professional/semi professional surfers out there, but unfortunately I would not be able to recognise anyone. Some of the photos I took with my 28-200mm lens which is super sharp. I also took some with an old 500mm mirror lens...it is reasonable ok...but almost impossible to keep in focus.

10. September 2010 11:05
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden Looks Like.....

10. September 2010 11:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Some people have said that Aiden looks like me (mostly) and some says that he looks more like Kim.

Here is a photo of Kim and I with Aiden as well as my mum holding me after I was born (I think):

I REST MY CASE!!!!!

27. February 2007 12:53
by Rene Pallesen
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Added photos from 2004

27. February 2007 12:53 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I have now added photos from 2004. The highlights from this year was a trip to the United States and Canada as well as a family trip to Egypt. This was also the year that Australia entered the war in Iraq, so there are a couple of photos from the anti war demonstrations.

Click here to read about 2004

27. February 2007 10:25
by Rene Pallesen
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Added photos from Portugal 2006

27. February 2007 10:25 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In Mid 2006 I was in Portugal for our International Partner Conference with the company.

It was a week of being busy setting up for the conference, socialising but also a lot of fun and partying.

Click here to see more photos from:Portugal/Slideshow

27. February 2007 08:14
by Rene Pallesen
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Added photos from The Blue Mountains 2006

27. February 2007 08:14 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I quite regularly head up to the Blue Mountains to go Rock Climbing.

We normally camp overnight and then depending on the weather and temperature decide on the day what walls we are going climbing on. The photos in the gallery are a selection of some of the photos I've taken in 2006, but there will be more to come in 2007.

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of photos of me climbing as I tend to forget to pass my camera to someone else.

Most of the time I go with my friend Sarah, but she has now moved to Canberra so she doesn't come up there as often as she used to.

Click here to see more photos from: Climbing in the Blue Mountains/Slideshow

27. February 2007 07:47
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Added photos from Tokyo

27. February 2007 07:47 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In September 2006 I went on a business trip to Tokyo along with a colleague of mine Tsukada-san.

Most of the trip was hard work and very long days, but I did manage to snap a couple of photos here and there.

We did get the deal in Tokyo, so the trip was worthwhile, and we are now installing our solution across all of Asia.

Click here to see more photos from: Tokyo/Slideshow

27. February 2007 02:36
by Rene Pallesen
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Added photos from Denmark 2006

27. February 2007 02:36 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In early 2006 my Mum had a stroke while my parents were on holiday in Thailand.

A few months later in April when I was in Europe for work I used the opportunity to go and visit and check up on how my mum is doing.

She is now in a wheelchair and still getting used to finding new ways of doing things.

I didn't do much while I was there, because it was mainly a social visit to help my mum and dad.

Click here to see more photos from: Denmark/Slideshow

27. February 2007 02:17
by Rene Pallesen
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Added a photo album for various photos 2006

27. February 2007 02:17 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I have a number of photos that don't really justify being in individual albums. I have now added all these photos from 2006 into one album.

Click here to see more photos from: Miscellaneous/Slideshow

27. February 2007 01:41
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Added photos from USA 2006

27. February 2007 01:41 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In early 2006 I went a trip to Seattle for our annual kick-off event.

Some of us flew over there a few days early to go skiing in Wanatchee east of Seattle. If was a weekend of perfect skiing. It was my first time skiing so I took some lessons after which I was doing fine (blue slopes).

During the week we had lots of meetings and dinners. There were award nights as well as just social nights where we could meet up with the rest of the company.

The following all of us in International went down to Crystal Mountain at Mount Raineer to do some more skiing. It was a lot of fun and we all had a great time.

Click here to see more photos from: USA/Slideshow

27. February 2007 01:30
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Added photos from skiing in Thredbo 2006

27. February 2007 01:30 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Mid 2006 I went with Soeren and his family (visiting from Thailand) to Thredbo to do some skiing. We drove down there Friday night and returned Sunday night. Thredbo is located in the Australian Alps 5 hours drive south of Sydney.

Generally the skiing conditions are pretty good, but last year was pretty bad, but we did get some skiing done.

Click here to see more photos from:Skiing in Australia 2006/Slideshow

27. February 2007 01:05
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Added photos from Holland 2006

27. February 2007 01:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In 2006 I went to Holland a couple of time for work. We have an office in Vianen 50 milometers outside Amsterdam.

I normally don't take a lot of photos when I go there, but if you click on the link below then you can see some of the ones I did take.

Click here to see more photos from:Holland/Slideshow

4. January 2007 12:27
by Rene Pallesen
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2008 has started

4. January 2007 12:27 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The year 2007 as you can see was a busy year with lots of traveling and adventures.

It is now time to move onto 2008 and see what this year can bring.

You can follow my adventures in 2008 by clicking on this link.

Can I at the same time suggest that you bookmark this page and I can highly recommend using the new RSS feed features on this website.

14. November 2004 02:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Nile Cruise

14. November 2004 02:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:59
by Rene Pallesen
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An Egyptian Perfumery

14. November 2004 01:59 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:58
by Rene Pallesen
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The Unfinished Obelisk

14. November 2004 01:58 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:54
by Rene Pallesen
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Memphis - the Ancient Capital of Egypt

14. November 2004 01:54 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:52
by Rene Pallesen
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Kom Ombo's Temple - Dedicated to Horus & Sobek, the Crocodile God

14. November 2004 01:52 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:51
by Rene Pallesen
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Valley of the Kings

14. November 2004 01:51 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:49
by Rene Pallesen
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Karnak - "the Most Perfect of Places" - Part 4

14. November 2004 01:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:49
by Rene Pallesen
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Karnak - "the Most Perfect of Places" - Part 3

14. November 2004 01:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:47
by Rene Pallesen
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Karnak - "the Most Perfect of Places" - Part 2

14. November 2004 01:47 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:45
by Rene Pallesen
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Temple of Horus - the Most Complete of Its Kind Part 4

14. November 2004 01:45 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

28. March 2019 13:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Kanasawa Parks - Japan

28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

27. March 2019 14:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Nikko - Japan

27. March 2019 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

27. March 2019 14:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Tokyo Parks - Japan

27. March 2019 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

27. March 2019 14:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Kanasawa Samurai District - Japan

27. March 2019 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

27. March 2019 14:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Kanasawa - Japan

27. March 2019 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

25. March 2019 10:03
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Australian Formula 1 grand prix

25. March 2019 10:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On the weekend I went to the Formula 1 grand prix in Melbourne. It was a work sponsored event with one of our vendors and great access to see the race and the pits.

Here is some of the photos from the event.

5. February 2019 11:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Japan - Akihababa

5. February 2019 11:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

5. February 2019 11:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Japan - Tokyo fish market

5. February 2019 11:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

5. February 2019 11:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Japan - Tokyo Disney land

5. February 2019 11:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

5. February 2019 09:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Japan - Okonomiaki

5. February 2019 09:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

8. July 2015 09:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Muay Thai

8. July 2015 09:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Before each fight they go through this unique dance ritual.

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

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

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

The 5th fight was back to two Thais fighting.

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

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

The fight lasted less than a minute before a knockout.

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

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

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

...yeah, I look really convincing there.

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

6. July 2015 07:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Island trip

6. July 2015 07:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. July 2015 12:07
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Phuket - Baby elephant

5. July 2015 12:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

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

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

4. July 2015 14:07
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Phuket - Big Buddha

4. July 2015 14:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

After Wat Chalong we went up to see the Big Buddha on top of a big hill.

The Buddha itself is 45 metres tall and is very impressive.

They have been building there for the past 10 years and will probably be building for at least another 10.

While there we also did a little prayer for Kim's mum.

And Aiden being his cheeky self did the 3 monkeys pose.

And they loved the big gongs (which you actually rub rather than gong).

Surprisingly they also in a far corner of the compound had some indian gods, but maybe not so surprising since we were close to Myanmar with a large indian based population (lots of Myanmar people in Phuket).

3. July 2015 13:07
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Phuket - Wat Chalong

3. July 2015 13:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One morning we ventured out to see one of the islands biggest temples, the Wat Chalong.

It is a magnificent temple with lots to see and it was a pity that the rest of the family didn't want to join us.

The temple contains what is said to be a bone fragment of buddha.

And the temple itself is full of golden buddhas.

Outside there are some elephant sculptures and across from that an areas where they fire of ceremonial fireworks which really scared the boys (as seen of Lucas face).

2. July 2015 13:07
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Phuket - Food

2. July 2015 13:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The food in Thailand is delicious.

There are so many variations that we cannot get at home and they don't add all that sugar.

Lucas was a bit tired after a morning at the beach at this one.

On KC's birthday we went to an ocean front seafood place.

I don't think the family liked the food in Thailand much though, because they wanted to eat japanese and wanted air conditioned restaurants even though the evenings generally were a bit cooler.

1. July 2015 13:07
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Phuket - Various

1. July 2015 13:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Here are some various photos that I haven't posted earlier.

Here is one of a jumpshot with Kim and I in front of the big Buddha.

Down at the beach there was this artificial wave surfing centre.

1. July 2015 13:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Shopping

1. July 2015 13:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The family did lots of shopping.

Kim's family had suits and shirts made and the girls bought lots of shoes.

We also found some great tshirts for the kids.

Although the kids were more interested in the ice cream.

1. July 2015 12:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - fruits

1. July 2015 12:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

It is fruit season at the moment so we bought lots of really delicious fruits such as Rambutans, mangosteens, mangoes, jack fruit etc.

30. June 2015 13:07
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Phuket - Street life

30. June 2015 13:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The street life in Thailand is as it always have been with lots of food stalls and other shops.

Petrol for all the bikes is bought in these small shops as well.

You can even get your feet cleaned by fish.

And handicraft is created there as well (The large elephant piece took him 2 weeks to create).

A new addition is the popup cocktail bars.

It reminds me of the good old days of backpacking where nothing was arranged beforehand. I would just organise accommodation when I arrived to a new place. There is still plenty of accommodation options everywhere if you look for it.

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