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8. August 2012 10:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Love the new camera

8. August 2012 10:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I love the new camera...it performed abosolutely amazing on the weekend when I did a photoshoot with the family. The 36 Megapixels mean that every detail such as pores in the skin, hairs etc. is visible and sharp.

This photo below shows one of the photos of Chong and Emma zoomed in at 100 percent..the small photo on the left shows the original photo.

8. August 2012 08:37
by Rene Pallesen
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Emma

8. August 2012 08:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

A couple of months ago Chong and KC had a new addition to their family.

Last week they asked me if I'd take some photos for them. It was a good chance for me to have a play with the new camera as well as some light setups.

Emma was very good and only had one 'accident'.

It was also a good practice session for when our next addition arrives in a couple of months.

I love the new camera, the details are absolutely amazing in the studio and the autofocus is accurate now after I had it fixed by Nikon.

31. July 2012 10:06
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Satellite Tracking Facility

31. July 2012 10:06 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Yesterday I went to a work conference where at the end of the day they offered us to do some site visits.

I was fortunate enough to visit the satellite tracking facility in the Northern part of Sydney. The company I work for owns a number of satellites (at a cost of around $400 million each) and they will be launching their 10th satellite later this year...the 'O10'.

This photo is from the control room where they look after all the locations, transponders and media broadcasts from the satellites.

It was interesting to be able to see the raw/unedited broadcasts from areas such as the London Olympics, the conflict in Syria etc.

The actual electronics was equally impressive.

I even found the box that currently is receiving all the media broadcasts from the 2012 London Olympics.

This is the Satelite Dish controller...On the display you can see the current position of the dish (and from that you could probably calculate the location of the actual satellite).

Outside was the array of dishes.

Most of the satellites are being launched from French Guyana by the European space agency.

30. July 2012 07:34
by Rene Pallesen
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Big Birthday

30. July 2012 07:34 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

A couple of days ago it was my birthday...I wish it was my 27th...but it wasn't!

Kim took me out for dinner on the day itself to a nice place at Circular Quay...very nice, but absolutely freezing and windy in there.

Day after we went out for dinner with the family to a Japanese restaurant and they ordered a shameful amount of food!

After the dinner we went back to our place for cake.

15. July 2012 12:26
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Thomas Trains and Warragamba Dam

15. July 2012 12:26 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Aiden is a big fan of the Thomas Trains, so a few weeks ago when Kim saw some vouchers for the Train Shed she bought some tickets.

This morning we went out there with the whole family to go riding on the trains. Aiden was very excited...to the point where he didn't want to get off the train.

The kids had 5 rides each and they also had lunch and scones provided for us.

Aiden had to check out anything that remotely looked like a train (looks like he is taking a wee here).

It was also a good day to try out the new camera (just came back after 5 weeks in the repair shop for recalibration). Kim was using it most of the day and said she loves it compared to my old camera.

On the way in I had seen a signpost towards the Warragamba Dam. This is where 80-90 percent of Sydneys drinking water supply comes from.

8. July 2012 10:57
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Duck feeding at Centenial Park

8. July 2012 10:57 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This morning it was a beautiful winter day here in Sydney and we decided therefore to go duck feeding in Centenial Park with Aiden and Dylan (I was supposed to have been doing a course, but it was cancelled).

Aiden eventually figured out that it was fun to tear off small pieces of bread and throw it in the water for the ducks and swans to eat.

I showed him how to hand feed the big swans with a flat hand, but he still didn't like them much...and even less so when one of them stole his bread after sneaking in from behind.

Stupid Swan!!!!

But eventually the swan apologised and he was happy to feed the smaller birds.

Also the pond is full of fat eels (and on one occation I have seen turtles there). Some of them would surface to try and steal the bread from the ducks.

10. June 2012 09:37
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Emily's birthday party

10. June 2012 09:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Yesterday we went to Emily's birthday party in Centennial park. We were there on time at 10.30 on a very cold morning (it had been 7 degrees overnight) but there was no-one else there...the host and the birthday child turned up two hours later (I cannot stand people who consistently have no respect for other people time).

We had brought Aiden tri-cycle that he got as a birthday present from his grandma last year.

We also spend some time exploring the forest next to the playground.

10. June 2012 08:18
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden's 2yo Birthday with the Family

10. June 2012 08:18 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Today we celebrated Aidens birthday with the family.

In the morning we all had Yum Cha and afterwards we took all the kids to Little Dynamos to play.

In the evening we had the family over for steamboat and cake. Great opportunity to take a new family photo with the latest member of the family...Emma.

8. June 2012 11:00
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One year

8. June 2012 11:00 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Today it was one year ago that my my Mum and Aidens Grandma passed away.

I am still sad that Aiden never met her but I am hoping that he will get to know Bedstefar better as he is growing up.

I am also glad that Aiden will have a brother to keep each other company and I hope the two of them will be close and grow old together.

I still have a suitcase sitting here full of photos that I one day will get the courage tp go through...but not anytime soon.

7. June 2012 04:26
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Aiden's 2 yo Birthday

7. June 2012 04:26 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Today was Aidens second birthday...time flies!

We had a Birthday cake for him with the family and sang Happy Birthday and let him blow out the candle.

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14. October 2013 02:53
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Lucas 1 year portrait

14. October 2013 02:53 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I finally managed to take the 1 year portrait of Lucas that I had planned and it turned out really well I think.

He is a big boy now and he is able to walk by himself (took his first unassisted steps just before his birthday).

13. October 2013 03:05
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Lucas 1yo Centennial park photos

13. October 2013 03:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The other day we went to Centennial park to take some 1yo photos of Lucas using a balloon.

What we had in mind was to take the photo down a row of trees.

...but it was impossible to get both the balloon and Lucas to behave in the same photo and the light wasn't great anyway with patches of sun and shade in the middle of the day.

We instead tried to be creative with other photos.

13. October 2013 02:57
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden on the bridge at Centennial Park

13. October 2013 02:57 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

A couple of weeks ago we went to centennial park to take some photos of Lucas for his birthday (see separate post).

I also took this photo of Aiden running across the bridge at Centennial park.

12. October 2013 06:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Test portraits of Lucas

12. October 2013 06:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Here is some more test shots of Lucas...his facial expressions are priceless.

12. October 2013 03:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Self test portrait

12. October 2013 03:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The other day I was setting up for a portrait using my new beauty dish strobe.

I was using myself as a subject and this one turned out rather well.

12. October 2013 02:49
by Rene Pallesen
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Sculptures by the sea 2013

12. October 2013 02:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Sculptures by the sea is on again and Kim and I managed to find a couple of hours to go and have a look.

I was carrying Lucas in my backpack and didn't bring my camera, so these photos are all shot with my phone...I seriously regret that I didn't bring my larger camera.

11. October 2013 05:24
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Working in the Sydney

11. October 2013 05:24 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Recently I have been doing a lot of work with a client in the Governor Macquarie Tower in Sydney CBD.

It has been great working in the city as the commute is a lot easier and more interesting in general.

This is the building I have been working in.

11. October 2013 05:20
by Rene Pallesen
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Coastal walk

11. October 2013 05:20 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One day Kim and I managed to go for a romantic (and long) walk from Coogee to Bondi and back along the coast.

It was a beautiful day and this area have some of the worlds best beaches and coastal views.

11. October 2013 05:18
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Bath time

11. October 2013 05:18 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We have started giving Aiden and Lucas a bath together when we are not too rushed. They are playing very nicely together in the bathtub.

11. October 2013 05:16
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Lucas Walking

11. October 2013 05:16 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Lucas is starting to be able to walk by himself and stand for long periods of time without holding onto furniture. The longest we have seen him walk so far was around 2 metres.

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16. August 2013 07:54
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Harbour walk with friends

16. August 2013 07:54 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Last weekend I went for a walk along the harbour with a couple of friends and Aiden (in my backpack).

It was a beautiful winters day being sunny and 25 degrees.

We started out at Waverton and walked almost across to Greenwich. It wasn't a long walk but very pleasant (especially since I also had Aiden to carry).

5. August 2013 09:17
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Aiden and Lucas at the Beach

5. August 2013 09:17 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The other day we went to Maroubra beach to let the boys play in the sand and also to try and get some photos of them together.

It is currently winter here in Sydney which sometimes provides this beautiful cool light.

Lucas and Aiden are now really good at playing together...Lucas is doing his best to copy everything that Aiden does and at the same time tried to keep up, whic is difficult when you cant walk yet.

...And Aiden is good at sharing his toys and make sure that Lucas has something to play with.

5. August 2013 09:13
by Rene Pallesen
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Test Portrait shot

5. August 2013 09:13 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The other day I did a couple of test portrait shots...I wanted a portrait that was a bit more moody than usual.

It is not easy getting the low key lighting right...much easier to do high key where you can pretty much blast the subject with light.

I haven't had the time to experiment further to accomplish what I wanted...but here is what I did get after 10-15 minutes experimenting.

31. July 2013 06:53
by Rene Pallesen
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Clever boy

31. July 2013 06:53 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Yesterday Kim caught Lucas grabbing her car keys and the trying to use the keys to unlock the front door...with a bit of practice and some extra height me might succeed one day.

I think he just wanted to take the big red car outside for a spin...

30. July 2013 08:36
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Family picnic at the beach

30. July 2013 08:36 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On the weekend we went to the beach for a little family picnic...ham and cheese sandwiches.

we also wanted to get some photos of Lucas and Aiden playing together in the sand.

We especially wanted to get one of them sitting together look at the waves. Normally Aiden is terrified of the waves, but because Lucas was there we were able to get him to sit still.

It wasn't the best light in the middle of a sunny day but I love the cool winter light this time of the year. It is hard to describe...but the light has a less warm feel the during the summertime.

Aiden and Lucas are now best of mates and having a lot of fun. Once Lucas learns to walk they will be big trouble and we will constantly have to chase after them. Aiden can sometimes get a bit rough, but Lucas is a tough little bundle of muscles and loves copying him.

30. July 2013 07:08
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Climbing on my birthday

30. July 2013 07:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On my birthday this year I went climbing at Barrenjoey with some friends. It was the first time for over a year that I have done any climbing...let alone outdoors, but fortunately it was all top ropes.

Barrenjoey is one of the most beautiful spots in Sydney.

I am totally out of shape but still managed to get through the climbs we set up.

We were supposed to have had a dinner the night before but most people were busy so we decided to cancel the dinner and the let me go climbing instead. I was supposed to have been taking Aiden with me (Barrenjoey is relatively safe for kids), but he was still a bit unwell from his hospital visit. I think I will start looking for a good climbing helmet for him so that we have it for next time.

I had a great day out with friends and it was great to get back on the rock.

27. July 2013 05:02
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A bit of a scare

27. July 2013 05:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Last night we had a bit of a scare when we suddenly had to rush Aiden to the hospital in an ambulance...

He was over at grandads place most of the day playing and when he came back we noticed that he had a bit of a temperature and didn't want to eat, but otherwise ok and playful. We decided to give him a quick shower before giving him some panadol and then bedtime.

In the shower he was playing as usual with water and his plastic cups when I left him to get dressed. When I came back a few minutes later to turn off the water and get him dressed I could tell that he was not his normal self and was shaking a bit. Thinking that he was cold I quickly took him out to get him dressed but could then tell that he was pretty bad...I couldn't get in contact with him and his breathing was irregular and shallow.

I quickly called Kim and had her call an ambulance. While we were waiting he started having some muscle spasms and started throwing up. Fortunately we are close to the ambulance station so they arrived pretty quickly and took myself and Aiden to the children's hospital which is also close by.

At the hospital he started responding again and the doctors there think that a spike in his fever caused it. They kept him there for most of the evening until his temperature had dropped and they were sure he was well hydrated which was around midnight.

Good that all turned out ok...Aiden has been pretty happy today even though he hasn't eaten much and slept much of the day.

22. July 2013 06:53
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Lucas 10 Months Photo

22. July 2013 06:53 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This weekend we went to the local park to get a photo of Lucas for his 'First Year' album.

We wanted to get some photos of him on the swing.

But we also managed to snap a couple with Aiden...

21. July 2013 07:51
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Aiden playing soccer

21. July 2013 07:51 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Aiden has started playing soccer (not real soccer, but they do get to kick a ball).

He is very proud that he has real soccer shirts and shorts.

We started taking him to assist him with his development. We are starting to see some progress but he is still a bit behind his age group.

21. July 2013 07:48
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Lego Turtle

21. July 2013 07:48 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Aiden and I often sit and build Lego together (Sometimes Lucas also joins us, but he is better at taking it apart).

One day we build this Lego turtle worthy of a photo...Aiden had great fun pushing it along the ground.

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29. January 2012 07:38
by Rene Pallesen
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Ronan Keating Concert

29. January 2012 07:38 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Last night Kim and I went to the Ronan Keating concert in State Theatre in Sydney.

Kim is a long time fan of Ronan and really wanted to see him live. I am to be honest not really familiar with his music but had a good evening nonetheless.

The warming up band was Sharon Corr (from The Corrs) and I really enjoyed her both playing and singing...she is pretty talented on the violin.

29. December 2011 10:24
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Tomakin 2011 - Fishing

29. December 2011 10:24 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Chong brought his Tinny (Australian slang for boat) to Tomakin and every morning the guys went out fishing for a few hours (I only went out one morning because 1. I had to look after Aiden and 2. I am not a morning person).

We caught lots of fish, but none of them were worth keeping as they were too small.

Just as well we didn't keep any, because on one of the days the fishing inspection gave us a visit.

In fact the only thing we caught that was above the size limit was this blue swimmer crab (and he was allowed to live another day).

We also had a visit from two massive sting rays (about 1 meter in diameter).

28. December 2011 10:23
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Tomakin 2011 - Table Tennis

28. December 2011 10:23 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The house we stayed at had a table tennis table in the garage. We had enough people to form three double teams and we spent quite a few hours playing each other.

Kims dad is 78 years old and is still going strong...he loves playing games.

27. December 2011 10:12
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Tomakin 2011 - Evening Photos

27. December 2011 10:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On the last couple of evenings we went to the beach to do some nice sunset photos. Tomaking is very onique in that it has some beaches that are facing west so you can use the nice light in the evening.

We did some family photos (some of which are on the previous blog post) as well as some of just Kim, Aiden and I. Kim still looks as beautiful as the day I met her.

I also did a rush job taking some long exposure shots of the ocean and the cliffs (not sure if I like the post processing...may have to come back to it some other day).

26. December 2011 09:59
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Tomakin 2011

26. December 2011 09:59 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This years christmas family trip went to Tomakin on the NSW south coast (about 5 hours drive south of Sydney).

We rented a house with four bedrooms (for 9 adults and 5 kids) very close to the beach and fishing in the river. Fun with this large a group of people.

As usual we spent some time at the beach and I was showing Aiden how to build sand castles again.

He is still not walking so we had to hold his hands walking on the beach and in the water.

Right next to the house there was a nice litte organic coffee shop serving really good coffee and scones.

One morning we went to Mogo to have a look at the shops. There was a lot of art and crafts shop that Kim was interested in. The town had very conveniently created facilities for husbands as well.

25. December 2011 09:46
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Christmas Day 2011 - Bondi

25. December 2011 09:46 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Christmas day we spent at Bondi Beach with Sacha and Mavis and their daughter. We met up at the kids pool at the end of the beach to let our kids have a splash in the water.

Aiden couldn't get enough of walking around in the water with myself and Kim holding his hands (he still can't walk by himself), he is very fond of water.

Sammi, Sacha and Mavis' daughter was wearing a flotation suit which was causing her a few problems as this photo series testifies.

24. December 2011 09:35
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Christmas Eve 2011

24. December 2011 09:35 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Christmas Eve this year was celebrated with Kims family. Normally we do this on the 25th like all other Australians, but this year we decided to do it the day before like in Denmark to avoid a lot of leftover food before going down south on out family trip to Tomakin.

Later in the day Santa Claus arrived to hand out presents for the kids.

For the lunch I roasted two ducks and Kim baked a chocolate ganache and made a salad.

Aiden was very excited and played with all Ethand and Kaylas toys.

19. December 2011 11:22
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Christmas Family Photos 2011

19. December 2011 11:22 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Christmas is now approaching and to keep up traditions I have created some family photos as well as some photos of Aiden.

19. December 2011 01:21
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Daos Wedding

19. December 2011 01:21 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Recently Dao's husband moved to Australia to join her. One of the visa requirements are that they must enter a legally binding marriage (The marriage from Vietnam is not recognised here) for him to stay here, so today we went to the registry office to have them married.

19. December 2011 01:19
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Water Playground in Darling Harbour

19. December 2011 01:19 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On the weekend we went with the family to Darling Harbour where they have a big water playground.

This gave Aiden a chance to play in the water...which he loves.

I also took a couple of photos of Aiden with grandad and auntie.

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2. May 2013 08:17
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Vanuatu - Captured by the tribes

2. May 2013 08:17 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

They finally caught us and wanted to put us in the big pot...

...but we told them that we are too skinny and that some of the fat tourists would taste better and be able to feed the village for months, so they let us go (whew...)!

2. May 2013 08:16
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Vanuatu Tribes

2. May 2013 08:16 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

While in Vanuatu we went on a couple of tours to get some insight into the old tribal culture.

We did one evening tour with food, song and dance and then a couple of days later we did another one during the daytime with a bit more insight into the tribal life.

On the evening trip they would be jumping out at us in the middle of the bush.

Afterwards they entertained us with song and dance.

During the day tour explained the significance of things such as their tribal drawings.

How they would use bark for making clothing and other items.

How they would preserve banana for several months.

...and the wild pigs they would hunt.

And they would also explain how cannibalism used to work in their society.

As well as other traditions.

I took a whole bunch of portraits of the people in the village.

There were also a bunch of kids around.

2. May 2013 08:15
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Aiden playing with the local kids

2. May 2013 08:15 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On one of the trips to a local village Aiden started playing with the local kids.

It was great that he had some fun as it is pretty hard for someone his age to sit still for long periods of time.

The local kids were great at helping him around and holding the dog so he could pat it.

2. May 2013 08:13
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Vanuatu - Fireshow

2. May 2013 08:13 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One evening we went to see a fire show...

This turned out to be probably the best fireshow we have ever seen...spectacular.

Fortunately I brought my tripod along so I could capture the following amazing pictures.

The whole show was about 30 minutes with 6-10 performers and finished with group dancing where all the local kids also participated.

2. May 2013 08:11
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Vanuatu - Kids

2. May 2013 08:11 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Obviously I took a large amount of family photos in Vanuatu.

Here are some of them.

...and...all this holiday can be very exhausting...

2. May 2013 08:10
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Vanuatu - Kims Dad

2. May 2013 08:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Kims Dad joined us in Vanuatu.

It was great to have him along and quite funny at times.

When we were out and about he wanted his photo taken with people we met.

And he was brave enough to try the local Kava...I didn't tell him how they make it.

And it was great to have him there to help with the kids.

2. May 2013 08:10
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Vanuatu - The market in Port Vila

2. May 2013 08:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On one of the days we made a day trip into Port Vila city centre. Here was the big market with is open 24 hours per day.

The market is full of fresh produce of all sorts depending on the seasons.

There is even some live produce available such as chicken and crabs.

Because the market is always open, people live and sleep between the stalls with their families.

It is also the place that people go to during lunch to buy food to eat.

There was a whole row of women sitting their waving their arms to keep the flies away from the food.

Also, I don't understand why the western world is spending so much effort and resources on finding cures to diseases such as cancer, diabeter, high blood pressure, arthritis, obesity, athma etc. since they here in Vanuatu already has one magical cure that takes care of them all. It was cheap and easily available at the market and it doesn't matter how much you buy, the price is always the same.

They were also selling improvised charcoal stoves bringing back memories of Kenya where everything was cooked on a Jiko's.

While we were outside the market discussing where to go next this woman and her little girl walked past. The little girl let go of he mums hand and walked over to Aiden (who was sitting in his pram) and gave him a BIG kiss...Aiden is such a chick magnet.

2. May 2013 08:09
by Rene Pallesen
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Vanuatu - Waterfalls

2. May 2013 08:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

There are a number of waterfalls on the main island Efete in Vanuatu.

Some of these are very accessible as they are right next to the road such as this one.

Others are a bit more of a hike, but definitely worth it...such as these ones at Mele.

Unfortunately the access to the falls is not being very well managed. They have cut steps into the limestone and scrubbing the surface to avoid people slipping when walking. Unfortunately this also erodes and changes the waterfalls and I think they should put a walking track adjacent to the falls instead.

2. May 2013 08:08
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Vanuatu - Out and about

2. May 2013 08:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One day we hired a driver to take us around the island.

One of the places we stopped was the Blue Lagoon which is a small semi freshwater lagoon with large lime stone deposits making the water very blue to look at.

We also stopped at Turtle Bay which is supposed to be a turtle sanctuary...but for what it is (tiny) and the knowledge of your guide (none) very over prised.

But they did have some live coconut crabs.