#logging off early and going to the beach so i don’t kms

[xchrryblssmx]

#mine #logging off early and going to the beach so i don’t kms #i’m tired and i know beach nap is gonna hit especially well

[lindoig1]

North-west Scotland. Days 69 to 71

Tuesday. Day 69

It is just after noon and we have not long finished breakfast - eggs, bacon and baked beans with bread and butter. No toaster and the gas is so weak, it takes more than 15 minutes to boil enough water for a cuppa. Took ages to warm the eggs and bacon enough to eat, but they were delicious. It is so beautiful in Durness that we have decided to hole up in our mobile cubbyhouse for another day and just enjoy it. We snuggled in under the doona for an extra hour or so before the calls of nature could no longer be denied. It is very moody here with Scotch mist filling the air, almost enough to get wet if we stayed out in it. We had a little light rain overnight, but it is just delightfully grey and a tad dour today - but in a nice way. The clouds and cliff-enclosed bay below our hideout seems to accentuate the sound of the waves. It is really quite calm, but the sound of the low surf is funnelled up to us making it all quite exciting and emotional. Just lovely!

It is a good opportunity to write up about our cruise if I have time. We have already done some puzzles and plan to watch a DVD on our tiny machine that we brought from home, but hopefully, I will get to post something.

There is a lookout at one end of the bay and we walked out there before a late lunch and watched a few porpoises enjoying the water too. There was a mother and young and at least one other in the pod and they have been playing around just near us most of the day. We haven’t seen much wildlife apart from birds on this part of our trip so it was interesting to watch them. We saw one fin whale on the cruise, and one pathetic scrawny stoat, one otter and quite a lot of seals, but nothing else.

We had a drink at the pub in the late afternoon and tried to use their Wi-fi to log on. Logged on OK, but couldn’t even download email after that - yet another limitation of the PC. Also, I am having trouble with my iPad. It doesn’t display what I type. Miscellaneous characters appear, some don’t appear at all, some sequences repeat themselves over and over again. I am about at the limit of my patience with the available technology here.

It has been a lovely relaxing day, but I didn’t get any of our cruise written up.

Wednsday. Day 70

We drive about 120 km today, but made camp in a parking area overlooking the sea at Drumbeg, but we are probably less than 40 km from where we camped at Durness. We have been surrounded by grandeur and beauty all day, but have looked around exploring minor mini-minor roads and tracks. We went for a walk to the beach at a place way off the road (next to a cemetery) and ended up at a deserted pier down another dead end for lunch. There have been very few cars or people and it has been delightfully enjoyable, cruising along slowly and stopping from time to time to just enjoy the place. There are literally thousands of lochs here, from pond-sized freshwater lochs to 50km long sea lochs and we spent a wonderful half an hour or so at one waterlily covered one looking at many wonderful flower species. Not another car or person disturbed us and it was an idyllic short stop along a really wonderful day. I always imagined waterlilies to be tropical or semitropical plants, but we have seen many thousands of acres of them in Scotland. I suspect they may all be the same species because all the flowers are white and look the same.

The mountains are craggy, often rock faces, both smooth or broken, but others are smothered in heather or other plants, most of it not yet quite in flower. Having said that, there is plenty of colour around. There is very little blue, but heaps of yellow, white, pink and purple from a plethora of different flowers. Anywhere you stand, you are surrounded by at least 10 varieties of flower from pinhead sized to wild roses, thistles and waterlilies - but you wouldn’t stand in a frigid loch just to be surrounded by waterlilies.

There are thousand of kilometres of stone walls here, some mortared, others just drystone, but all picturesque. I have mentioned the old stone houses, but all the houses, old and new are very plain and symmetrical and either natural grey or whitewashed, with dark rooves, whether slate, tiled, shingle or occasionally thatched - and just an occasional rusty red iron shed roof full of holes.

During the last hour or so of the drive today, we were talking about having a pub meal, preferably fish and chips, when we stopped. When we set up at Drumbeg, it was a bit early to go to the pub so we sat and did things in the van, marvelling frequently and effusively about the view. Then we went down to the pub, only to be told there were no meals available that night. So it was baked beans and cocktail sausages, warmed up on the pathetic gas stove because there was no power available in the parking place. An early night of reading that night.

Thursday. Day 71

What can I say? We continued to cruise around the most stupendously awesome mountains, moors and lochs with every corner smacking us in the face with an unexpectedly beautiful valley, a quaint village, a rocky headland, a sandy beach, a picturesque estuary - or a combination of several such gob-smacking delights.

We called in to a few villages and stopped and started a few times, even stocked up on some more food and wine at a Tescos, but basically just moseyed along from one jaw-dropping view to the next. I think I have mentioned the narrow roads a few times and with 6 forward gears in our camper and so many hills and passing places where you have to stop or nearly stop every time another car, motorbike, cyclist or hiker confronts you, I reckon I have declutched and changed gears at least a million times or more in the last week. At least my left leg is getting some exercise - maybe that is why my knee is causing me a little pain! I think I am concentrating 80% on my driving and 20% on the drive a lot of the time so frequent stops and isolated roads give me the chance to see more detail in this beautiful place.

We saw a few deer at last, two on a hillside where we stopped to take in the view and Heather saw one near the road a bit later. We also had a really good look at a stag in a field less than 50 metres away. He was not at all bothered by us so we watched him for a while and took some pics.

We visited a lighthouse at the end of yet another finger of yet another scenic loop road and spent an hour walking around looking at the birds and flowers on the headland. I also had a walk around the ruins of a small castle along with 30or 40 other tourists, but never found out quite what it was. It was a listed historical monument, but with no information about what it had originally been.

We ended up at a van park near Ullapool, a bit bigger town where we did our shopping. The park was on the very edge of a long sea loch and it was interesting to watch 5he ebb and flow of the tide - and how the dunlins, plovers, oystercatchers, gulls, wagtails and sparrows used the tidal movements to refresh their larder. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the birds as the tide drew them closer to us as it came in and covered most of the rocks - and the dunlins were a first for us anyway.

[thebestintoronto]

10 Best Toronto Hiking Trails: Amazing Places to Hike in Toronto

Searching for Toronto hiking routes to explore? When Toronto enters your mind, you could picture imposing condo structures, limitless concrete roads, and traffic for days. That's not all there is to the city. There are gorgeous woody parks, tracks via serene woodlands, and also wild animals environments in Toronto.

You can locate many locations to trek in Toronto without leaving the city limits. So, explore your very own neighbourhood or hop on the TTC to discover the best of your own yard. Here are the leading Toronto hiking trails that you need to check out.

Toronto Walking Trails: Scarborough Bluffs

The Scarborough Bluffs are just one of Toronto's not-so-hidden secrets where the high cliffs look right out of England and the waters are blue-green like the Caribbean. It is just one of the very best walking tracks in Toronto, as well as the major path runs for 5 to 6km at the base of the cliffs. The Scarborough Bluffs Route is a very easy ride in between Bluffer's Coastline and also Bluffer's Park You'll appreciate views of the sturdy cliffs, the tranquil waters, and the occasional seabird flying around. It's also feasible to go swimming right here at the little sandy beach throughout the summer.

If you wish to look into the sights from the top of the cliffs, you'll require to increase to Scarborough Crescent Park (the Scarborough Bluffs Lookout). While you could be able to figure out how to climb up the cliffs to the top, I don't suggest it. It's a really ecologically sensitive location, as well as sections of the rocks could offer anytime. To prevent injury to yourself as well as damaging the landscape, please do not forge your very own path approximately the top. If you're caught attempting to raise to the top of the Bluffs, you can encounter a $5000 fine.

Strolling Trails in Toronto at High Park

High Park is just one of one of the most gorgeous areas in Toronto, and the city park has several of the best Toronto treking tracks, as well. While you could have seen High Park for cherry blossom viewings in the spring, there's a lot even more to this natural space that covers a number of city blocks. You might have roamed around Grenadier Fish pond or the Japanese garden, however have you ever gone treking at High Park?

Even though it's a much easier walk through the park, there are several forests and also woody locations within High Park. You'll discover wood woodlands, wildflowers, as well as various types of birds. The High Park Area Path is a loop route around the perimetre of the park, spanning concerning 5km. It's Toronto's "Central Park" on a smaller range. While these Toronto hiking trails aren't difficult or the lengthiest, it's a beautiful trip for a few hours.

Rouge National Urban Park.

Rouge National Urban Park is Canada's first nationwide urban park, and it's a special wilderness setup in the capital city of the district. It integrates remarkable biodiversity and all-natural landscapes with background as well as society of the area. You'll find Toronto's only camping site, substantial marshes, a sandy beach, Carolinian woodland, as well as some of Canada's earliest Aboriginal sites.

When hiking at Rouge National Urban Park, you'll be absolutely spoiled for choice. There are numerous routes of various ranges and troubles. Here is a full listing:

Rouge Marsh Route: A short walking of the largest remaining wetland in Toronto (500 metres).

Pole Route: Explore Carolinian ecosystems on a 200 year old former logging path (2.5 km).

Glen Eagles Panorama Trail: Sights of the Rouge River as well as the Little Rouge Creek (600 metres).

Event Forest Path: A ceremony of neighborhood leaders that aided safeguard as well as produce Canada's first urban national park (500 metres).

View Route: Look into the two level watching system on this route (1.5 km).

Orchard Trail: Woodlands, marshes, and residues of very early European settlements (2km).

Cedar Trail & the Beare Wetlands Loop: Mature woodlands as well as wild animals (1.5-- 4.5 km).

Woodland Path: Forests, meadows, as well as water (4.5 kilometres).

Reesor Method/ Tanglewood Route: A loophole trail of young and also old woodlands and fields (3.3 km).

Monarch Path: Carefully rolling loop route across several habitats (7.6 km).

Tallgrass Trek: Meadows, marshes, and also meadows-- a loop path (3.2 kilometres).

Sentier Route: Shaded forests and wetlands, a household pleasant path (5.1 km).

Prairie Wolf Trail: Pine as well as cedar woodlands, wetlands, fields-- a loophole route (2.9 km).

There's also an application for the park. Trainees at the College of Toronto Scarborough's development hub dealt with Parks Canada to create an app, offered for both iPhone as well as Android gadgets. You can use the app to navigate the hiking trails and also find out about the park's history along the way. It's also feasible to take some digital walks at Rouge National Urban Park prior to you took off.

Don Valley Brickworks Park & Moore Park Abyss.

The Don Valley Brickworks Park is a 40 acre park on a former quarry including treking trails and also surroundings of the Toronto horizon. This is among the best hikes in Toronto since you're not as well much from the city, there are woody tracks with prospective wild animals discoveries, as well as you can even pop by Evergreen Brickworks, too. There's a tiny cafe on website, a farmer's market on Saturdays, as well as an artisan market on Sundays.

While the whole loop of the Don Valley Brickworks hiking trail is just about 2.4 kilometres, it's easy to extend your walk with the Don Valley from here. Advance the Beltline Trail north or southern, or hike along the Lower Don River Path. You can even do a whole loophole of the Moore Park Abyss continuing on to David Balfour Park. Look into my walking overview to the Moore Park Ravine.

Hiking in Toronto at Crothers Woods.

The trails at Crothers Woods are among the very best places to hike in Toronto that in fact link with the previously mentioned Evergreen Brickworks Path. The Crothers Woods loophole route is 6.6 km and also runs along the edge of the Don Valley. If you're mosting likely to stroll on the Crothers Woods loop route, the hiking course begins at a supermarket with a big car park (so you can park there).

Despite the fact that there's a shopping centre and a neighboring freeway, you'll be delivered to the middle of serene nature within no time, virtually failing to remember that you remain in the city in any way. Nonetheless, you might stumble upon some legendary city sky line views on the journey that are a happy reminder that you're experiencing the nature of this terrific city.

Warden Woods (Gus Harris Path).

Warden Woods includes the Gus Harris Trail (called for a former mayor of Scarborough) in the eastern end of the city. It's a 3.2 kilometres out as well as back track that's really simple to access. The Gus Harris Route is just one of the very best walking routes in Toronto. It's an easy walk via the woods, there's a pretty abyss, and also a river going through it.

You can conveniently reach it from the train stations (Warden or Victoria Park) or there's great deals of car park on domestic roads. Although you could need to tolerate some city sound on the path, there's likewise the tranquil noises of birds chirping as well as the gentle circulation of the river that makes it all rewarding.

Tommy Thompson Park (Leslie Road Spit Trail).

The Leslie Road Spit Path at Tommy Thompson Park is just one of the leading Toronto treking routes. While you may discover old building and construction debris on parts of the route, it's a great instance of exactly how nature is beginning to recover it all. The whole loop trail has to do with 11km in length, although there are a couple of various courses to take within Tommy Thompson Park.

First, there's a multi-use trail expanding from the landmass as well as out towards the water. This is a flat, paved surface about 5km in length in between the park entry and also the lighthouse at the end. There are 2 pedestrian tracks with a level or smooth crushed rock surface area, meant for pedestrians just. Then, there's the nature path (3.3 kilometres) featuring a natural surface area that runs alongside the multi-use trail. As this park is a habitat for wild animals (10 types of owls are understood to live below), family pets are not permitted in the park.

Humber Bay Park East & Humber Bay Park West.

Humber Bay Park is a beachfront park in Toronto's west end (Etobicoke) near where the Humber River meets Lake Ontario. Specifically, the parks are right where Mimico Creek streams into the lake. This environment-friendly area is divided into 3 parks: Humber Bay Park West, Humber Bay Park East, and Humber Bay Shores Park. There are hiking trails at all three parks and they're several of the best strolling trails in Toronto.

The Humber Bay Park West Path is a 1.9 kilometres out and also back trail that offers lovely views all over. The Humber Bay Park East Path is somewhat much more beautiful with some wild animals watching opportunities, and it also includes lovely lake views, too. It's a 2.6 kilometres loop path. If you continue along the Humber Bay Park East Route, you'll ultimately end up at the Humber Bay Shores Park. You'll walk past a small butterfly yard on the way. Ultimately, there's a fascinating pedestrian bridge called the Humber Bay Arch Bridge with beautiful searches on either side of it. It's easy to invest an entire day checking out these parks as well as Toronto tracks. You're not too far from the city streets if you would love to pick up a dish or a coffee, too.

Humber River Recreational Route.

Farther north in Etobicoke on the Humber River exists the Humber River Recreational Path, an 8.2 kilometres out and also back trail on a smooth path. It twists along the river from Humber Bay to Old Mill as well as ultimately to Scarlett Woods. The Humber Bay Park East route connects with the Humber River Recreational Path, so you can easily check out both in someday for an extended expedition. While you'll be sharing the path with bikers, it's a sensational breathtaking course in the city that's not to be missed.

Glen Stewart Ravine.

Glen Stewart Gorge - Toronto treking tracks. The Glen Stewart Abyss is a surprise forest escape in the Beaches area of Toronto. On the Glen Stewart Park Trail, there's a large boardwalk throughout a secured forested area where you'll promptly fail to remember that you're walking in Toronto. It's one of my favourite Toronto treking tracks within the city limits.

The path itself is a little over 1km long (1.3 kilometres to be specific), so it isn't exactly a lengthy walking. It took me about 20 mins to trek from one end to the various other, and after that backtracking my way back to the vehicle. While several of the stroll traverses over a dust course, you'll additionally venture throughout raised boardwalks for a lot of it. Despite where you go, you'll be surrounded by a rich and also attractive woodland with a canopy of red oak and also red maple trees overhead.

Toronto Island.

Last but not least, I had to consist of the Toronto Islands on my list of the top Toronto hiking tracks. While these aren't hard expeditions via the woodland, you'll find peaceful strolling paths on among the most beautiful places in the city. You'll need to take the ferryboat from the mainland to Centre Island. From there, discover 14km of routes from Hanlan's Indicate Ward's Island.

There's a great mix of waterside boardwalks, beaches, as well as courses near enchanting homes. You'll likely require to see on several celebrations to uncover the island from every angle. You'll witness among the best city sky line sights from the island as well as on the ferryboat ride, too. Taking a trip to the Toronto Islands is a must for anyone living here or checking out the city from afar.

Map of Toronto Trails.

Below is a handy map of all the Toronto treking trails so you can see them visually in one area. If you want to conserve this map for future referral, please click the little celebrity next to the title and also it will be saved to your Google account.

The post “ 10 Best Toronto Hiking Trails: Amazing Places to Hike in Toronto “ was first seen on Ontario Hiking

The IV Lounge - IV Therapy Toronto Service Provider

[gowrisraman]

A Spiritual journey towards lands’ end -Part 1

Our 2-day trip to Rameswaram started with a pleasant surprise as I woke up in the bus to find water logged buildings and fields. Seems the monsoon has been heavy. Very different landscape to the one that is stuck in my memory from my last visit 15 years back in the peak of summer.  As the bus crossed the Pamban bridge (officially Indira Gandhi Beach 😊) it was a lovely sight of the Bay of Bengal with the bustling fishing boats and the meandering coast line of the Island. I Suddenly realised something is missing; Hi where is the rail bridge?  Then quickly rushed to the other side of the bus to see that. Oh God! the rail bridge is so close to the sea, and it must be a great experience travelling by train with the sea water almost kissing the rail track. I only wish our people don’t do silly things for that perfect selfie moment and end up in the sea. Kids were quite excited about the view from the bridge and it gave enough energy for the day ahead.

Rameswaram has good stay options with even Hyatt opening its doors. Most hotel are in the Madurai road as you enter the town and the old lodges are near the temple. There are very few close to the sea. My google search on things to do threw a long list of places and the cab guy confirmed that when he listed 14 places to be covered in a day.

First stop is Kothandaramar temple enroute to Dhanushkodi. This is where Lord Rama did Pattabhishekam for Vibhisheenar after the battle against the mighty Ravana. First thing that will strike you as a Tamilian is the absence of Gopuram in the temple. The temple is a two KM detour from the main road to Dhanuskodi surrounded by backwaters. It rekindled fond memories of the Roach park road of Tuticorin with back waters on one side and salt panes on the other side.  Kothandaramar temple, a site of great religious importance maintained so shabbily. It’s shocking. And this was the first of the series of shocks I was about to be subjected to in this trip. Is it that we as citizens lack social hygiene? or Religion and self-discipline are mutually exclusive for us or thanks to Dravidian politics that places of worship are badly maintained?  Reason is a combination of all the three.

If there was one place I was looking forward to in this trip, its Dhanushkodi, a ghost town abandoned after the 1964 super cyclone which killed an estimated 1800 people. Coincidentally we were visiting a day before the 55th anniversary of that fateful night.  You now have proper tar roads till the lands’ end at Dhanushkodi beach point from where Lanka is just a stone’s throw away, not for mortals though. However, Vehicles are stopped at the place where the town once stood. From here a 6 km narrow strip of road shoots off like a lizards tongue to the beach point. Early morning visitors go past the police barricade for what must be such a lovely drive encircled by sea. If you find the Police on the way back be prepared to pay fine or bring in your best negotiation skills. Locals say there has been sea erosion and that’s why vehicles are not allowed beyond the town.   

Such a beautiful landscape with a huge history behind it should have been leveraged by the Govt. May be have a small theatre to play video about Dhanushkodi and the super cyclone that walloped the place, have guided tours of the remaining structures (with proper name boards), Archalmunai beach and the Dhanushkodi beach point. Such places are not just for Photo Ops but to take some learnings back.  Life of Dhanushkodi’s residents are perfect example of human resilience   as have set up good number of curio shops, eating outlets to make a living. Mind you there is no electricity, only solar powered lamps.  As you walk through the beach looking at those devastated buildings and the mighty ocean, one can’t stop thinking what happens when nature decides to have it ways. It’s just surreal

On the way back from Dhanushkodi , we visited Ramar Padham , where Lord Rama’s foot prints can be seen on a chakra. It’s the highest point in the lsland giving a superb view of the whole town including the gopuram of the Ramanathaswamy temple.  The temple is at a short climb from the road and the breeze top is salubrious and refreshing.

To be honest, the main motivation to me for this trip was to visit the memorial of late President Dr Kalam.  It’s a bonus that his house has also been turned into a museum of sorts with display of his quotes, awards and some memorabilia. I wanted to join the thousands of citizens who came to Rameswaram for his funeral but am happy I finally made it to this temple of sorts.

 Dr Kalams memorial at the entrance to the town is truly world class.  His samadhi occupies the centre of the building and there are various galleries with wax statues recreating important milestones in his career including Pokhran. There is also a gallery that depicts his last moments in IIM Shillong. I for sure didn’t expect that and came out of the room with moist eyes. Banning cell phones inside the building is a welcome relief and that lets you sync with the man, his journey and his achievements.  How I wish he was alive today to infuse loads of positive energy to the citizens. The memorial is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest sons of this nation.  

After a short nap we started off for The Ramanathaswamy temple in the evening.  Rameswaram got its name from the fact that it is the place where Lord Ram worshipped Lord Shiva.  This temple should probably be the only temple having so many theerthams. In all there are 22 theerthams and taking a bath on all of them on a December evening made it very special. The water in the theerthams are so sweet although the temple is so close to the beach. May be not everything could be explained by science.    Temple is surprising clean although better change rooms are badly needed. Walking through the long corridor after a good darshan is so sublime that you wish it continues. Restaurants near the temple are quite ordinary and ok for a quick bite at the end of a tiring day.

What’s surprising in Rameswaram is that from hotel staff to Temple Pandits, to guides to autowallahs, everyone speaks good Hindi. In fact, in one of the temples the purohit started explaining in Hindi, then looking at our blank face switched to Telugu and then finally said ‘Oh Tamil a’. The take away is people will adapt to any way of life if it makes economic sense. No use in forcing it on them.    

If day 1 was long it looked like day is going to be hectic and tight on time.

[jyotikathapa]

After an Anonymous plan to travel together with my girlfriends we chose Bali. It wasn’t my first choice but the flights are cheap from Aus and food and hotels too; for sure then why not!!! And literally, it was ok! didn’t cost me much. So we planning started 3 months before. Just a plan! PLAN!!! (which doesn’t work really work out most of the time)

Anyways in April, we should have been three of us in the tour but one of my girlfriends couldn’t make it due to passport delay in the embassy. However, two of us were on a gooooo….

Well, I booked my ticket with the transit in Singapore for 12hrs which let me go in free Singapore tour by the Chiang Mai airport (This is another story will share it soon)

Arrival in the Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar, aka BALI! Reached there around 8 pm and lucky Nepalese travellers!!! you don’t need a visa. YeaH!!! (Nepalese don’t need visa if u stay less than 30days ). Fuzz start when u are a tourist and need a ride to Hotel after touchdown to the island. So, people you better take a blue taxi if u want to save your budget and run taxi in meters :D. Reached hotel meet my friend after a year. Had local dinner nearby the restaurant and off to bed.

Day 1 Haha! Woke up late. Then we hired a scooter from the hotel then off to ride (renting a bike is quite cheap there IDR 50000- 70000 per 24 hrs/day). Then we got ourselves sim cards and off to the road… Thank God there is GPS. We passed through Kuta street and man! It was vibrant in all possible terms. Uluwatu Temple was the first destination cause it was on the edge of the map lol! Well, its looked far away in a drive and city is crowded as every other city. We came to see a beautiful couple taking their photo nearby the cliff and it was spectacular.

lady by the cliff

Uluwatu Temple

couple tring to capture panoramic view of uluwatu temple

relax, see, enjoy, rest

Couples near the cliff for wedding photo

lovely couples, capturing their wedding

Tip: Beware of the monkeys they will snatch everything possible. Carry a candy bar in your pockets to batter your belongings. Well, there are locals who will save you for sure.

Next destination after there was the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK), a cultural park. Have you experienced a disastrous moment well it was the first one when we were there? Scooter stopped and didn’t start at all. NOT my Fault (fault in our star damn!) but the generous staff in the GWK helped us start the bike. And we were there first thing first we enjoyed the ice cream mad on the cold slab.

It was great then the view of GWK well it was architectural delineation for sure. The Indra log was amazing well it was a place for famous events in Bali for music concerts and parties.

GWK

dancing away

artist from the theater dacing

Wishnu God

villan

garauda story

forever young heart

orchestra

Well, you can spend whole day over there watching various theatre shows done for the visitors and we were able to witness few of them as the Vishnu (wishanu dance/ art); taaktaktaktak dance and the beautiful music until the end.

On our way back to the hotel we went to the beach nearby called double six beaches no wonder why! Grab the beer and enjoy the view! Not really it was dark ! man! Lol though the music was good and the atmosphere was chilled. Bintang the Indonesian beer…

Day 2 So no hangover, but still not an early bird, so on the second day we changed the scooter and we head to Ubud the monkey forest. This day was amazing first we encounter the notorious and mischievous monkeys. Rule 1 do not try to be friendly with them. Rule 2 don’t look in the eye or you will fall in love not but trouble (guides said it meant war if you stare at them lol).

After all that we escape the monkeys and headed to the famous tergalalang rice field. The view was great as it is seen in Instagram and Bali lookout but a bit crowded. Lots of people and lots of ways to be there. However, we were there and no need for tickets but there were kids that were trying to sell souvenir and stuff and local who maintained the field were collecting generosity ($) for themselves. Recommended to visit this area. Enjoy the view with coconut water for sure and that the exact place where we planned our next stop..

Tegallalang Rice Terraces in Bali

On the way to tegenungan waterfall sukawati we stopped by the Luwak coffee farm to taste the local famous coffee which is literally a shit of an animal named PLAM Civet (Luwak). The coffee was great and as a bonus we were given around 12 kinds of tea for testing which were amazing. About tea testing, you will be seeing a video soon.

Coffee testing

Luwak with its kids

Luwak poop ! the coffee beans

Special Luwak coffee

Must say it was a lovely day, now that we were close to the waterfall, we didn’t have spare clothes to change but then you only get one chance in a lifetime, therefore, take a dip and live. So I bought lungi like pyjama there for IDR 100,000 which is a nice gift too for later. Well, you need to buy a ticket for the entry though. So we were there and lots of other people too.

the red flag in left bottom side. do not go i repeat do not go

Tegenungan Waterfall

I would say this is the part where I came back from death, thanks to lifeguards there. There are unusual timing in life when you wanna be a rebel but there is devil waiting for you to end. So, what happened was I went to the water to take a photo but somehow I wanted to feel that one of life time moment and swim in the waterfall. So, as you can guess the whirlpool pulled me and my friend was taking a video thinking I was swimming like a pro but not. However, those lifeguards on standby saved me with the rubber tube well I lost my words and sense for some time but must say was one of the LIFETIME MOMENT!!!! Hence, guess be safe. Under the waterfall, there is sign which is marked with a flag for danger so avoid those areas. Sad thing photo didn’t come out well…

Well that was the day end of story for so far for which I get teased by my friends DIVE = DIE Day 3 This day weather was gloomy when we started to head out. So this day we went to Tanah Lot temple, the temple on the sea; next to the sea! Well, that place was amazing but I wonder what it would look like during sunset cause it popular for that.

temple

vendor with paper bird

flying paper ship

Well, there were parts of temple one being across the sea or shall say it was 100meter away from the mainland! You need to cross the gap between the lands via walk. And holy God, there were water snakes! Or some kind of snakes which is suppose to be gods relative or god themselves. One thing I am most afraid of is a snake and holy cra* Lord there they were but no harm. So I took blessing form the priest there and rushed back.

oh weather!!! It started to rain a lot but still then we ended up going out and soaking in the rain. As per my friend’s request, we went to blue lagoon which is supposed to be the best beach in Bali for snorkelling and beach time. Damn! It was beach day for us like b*tc$ day. It never stopped. We stopped by several stops to escape the rain but rain was all over us (rain on me!!!!! ) Somehow we reached there at the end. While we were there it stopped for a while and when we went to hotel it was raining again.

blue lagoon was really blue

Weather forecast for the next day seemed tragic so we rented the van and driver for next day.

while we wait for the rain to stop

Day 4 So on this day, we were supposed to go to 3 places as per our booking cause they were long distanced and off hills. First of all, we went to view Mt. Kintamani Volcano which took us more than 2 hours reach that viewpoint next we went to Pura Besakih temple which is known to be the biggest Hindu temple in Bali. It was a festival season so it was crowded by the devotees and tourist. We had an epic story here with the guide in the temple too. Bust the place was mesmerising.

Day 5 Coming to end of our tour, last day for us in Bali(supposed to be) hence I want to go all around Bali before I go back to place where I come from. cause we had been too limited areas only. There for DAY 5 was 270+ km tour for us in the bike.

First Stop: Pura Ulun Danu Bratan

Second stop: famous pancasari door  (Got to get one  of those shot)

                  Third stop: Gitgit waterfall

  kid trying to sell her hand made craft

Fourth stop: Kubu beach for lunch and relax in the swimming pool which also is a great place for diving for starters

this place is famous for snorkelling and underwater diving

relax by the sea and pool with few cocktails always relaxing

Fifth stop: Tirta Ganga

lets take selfie for one and then there they are

family picture with their character

After that as for the finishing touch, we went to Candi Dasa beach where the sunset was beautiful.

  Sunset in the Candidasa beach or horizon…..

  more stories to share… it will continue to another blog… (solo travel; beach relax day, food, turtles, food, rest…)

any enquiries email in [email protected] ready to help

you get more than you know in Bali. Nature is amazing, when you add luxury its heaven After an Anonymous plan to travel together with my girlfriends we chose Bali. It wasn’t my first choice but the flights are cheap from Aus and food and hotels too; for sure then why not!!!

#bali #beach #bike #bintang #blue lagoon #candidasa #coffee tasting #cultural park #double six beach #food #Garuda Wisnu Kencana #Gitgit waterfall #GWK #holiday #icecream #Indonesia #Kubu Beach #luwak #luwak coffee #monkey temple #mount kintamani #music #nature #Pancasari door #Pura Besakih Temple #Pura Ulun Danu Bratan #relax #semiyak #snorkling #sukawati

[licencedtoretire]

As I have mentioned in previous posts about this part of the coastline it’s much further than the crow flies to get from beach to beach and so it was again with another 65 kilometre drive to get from Herbertville to Akitio which are actually less than 20kms apart. There is a lot of forestry in this area, with the logging trucks causing a huge amount of damage to the road surface between Wimbledon and the turn off at Weber. It was so bad that in one place someone had spray painted across the road TDC (Tararua district council) fix this bl…y road now !! I can understand their frustration especially if I was driving it on a regular basis.

Road conditions aside we arrived in Akitio safe and sound crossing the one lane bridge that leads into this little settlement. On each side of the river there is an original homestead with the river probably the boundary between what would have been another 2 huge sheep stations. It’s something that really makes this coastline different from other parts of New Zealand we have visited.

Of course wherever you have sheep you also need the sheds to shear them with this magnificent pair of sheds just past the main house as you drive into the village. There may now no longer be 70 million sheep in New Zealand but there are obviously still quite a lot in this part of the country.

Although there are plenty of places to park the motorhome along the side of the road freedom camping in this little village is prohibited with the only camping at the official campground further along the road.

The camping ground is located towards the far end of the village with the office also serving as a small general store and local takeaway. We don’t usually stay in places like this but since this is the only option in town we checked in. @$12 per person without power or $15 with we chose the non power option not because of the cost we just don’t need power.

As you can see from the signage above the place is also for sale. Sadly for the lady running the camp her partner passed away just before Christmas last year. Although she loves the place it’s just to hard on her own so she made the decision to sell.

The camp ground proper is a collection of permanent caravans and sheds that are paying a ground lease of $2500 per year each with every available space taken. These little areas are sold from time to time with prices in excess of $50K not unusual. The grassed area where we are parked is leased from the council and the land is not part of the sale although the lease can continue.

I think they have their pricing model wrong because the non powered sites, hence the cheapest are the closest to the beach, but we aren’t complaining. The area for motorhomes is also rather lumpy in places but we scored one of the few flat areas. A real bonus as we don’t have chocks for our motorhome, the twin rear axles make it rather difficult so we just haven’t bothered getting any.

Like all the beaches we have visited down the coast there is something different about this one that the previous ones we have visited. This is also the first beach we have encountered with warnings about the strong rips and advice against swimming here. I wasn’t sure if that was just at the end of the beach where the river flows out to sea or all along the beach.

But then looking at the beach in front of the motorcamp at low tide I am not sure you would want to go swimming given the rocks underfoot.

It was such a gorgeous day we decided to get the bikes out and explore the area riding first along the road back towards the the entrance to the village passing a number of points of interest such as the house that had burnt down which believe it or not was right next door to the local volunteer fire brigade. Sarah managed to find a couple of fig trees which had some ripe fruit. Delicious!

Once we had ridden along the beach we headed back and up the hill behind the camp which turned out to be a very steep climb, so thankful for E Bikes but the views at the top made it worthwhile. We had also ridden up the hill to see if it was sealed and if it was suitable for the motorhome. Meeting Brian coming the other way in his motorhome along the road who said that the road was gravel for 10 or so kms and not in the best condition meaning we would probably leave the camp the same way we arrived.

As I have mentioned in previous posts we have been following Annelise, Gary, Hans and Mia together with other members of a safari from the NZMCA Taupo along this coast meeting up at various different places. That night the group asked us to join them at happy hour with all of us getting a feed from the takeaway/camp office. The meals were a ridiculous size with our order of 3 pieces of fish turning out to be 5 pieces when unwrapped. They also produced some of the largest hamburgers I have even seen with a knife and fork the best way to consume one.

Meeting other members of the NZMCA on the road can be a bit of a lottery some like this group could not make you feel anymore welcome whilst others seem to treat you like they have stepped on something rather unpleasant. It was a fun evening and we really enjoyed your company, thanks for making us part of the group for the night!

The following morning with Annelise and her group heading away early the camp felt quite lonely. We debated spending another night but decided in the end to continue the journey. We had only gone 6 or 7 kms when we started to hear whoop, whoop, whoop coming from under the motorhome, thinking that we probably had our first flat tyre I pulled over and had a look but all of the wheels were fine. I then ran my hand around the tyres incase something had stuck to the tyre, nothing there either.

So back in the van and underway again only to have the noise appear again. This time we pulled over on a large flat area away from the road for another inspection. After a closer look at the wheels and I noticed that one of the wheel studs/bolts was missing from the left front wheel. (In the Ducato the bolt also serves as the stud going from the outside in) Not only had we lost a bolt but all the others on this wheel were also loose enough to be undone with your fingers. We were miles from anywhere so the prospect of having the wheel fall off left us both very shaken and wondering how long we would have had to wait for help as well as the cost of a tow to get it repaired.

Thinking that the wheel stud had probably only just recently dropped out we walked back down the road searching without success then got the bikes out of the rear to search a bigger area, again without success. So after talking with a friend of mine who is a mechanic we jacked up the front wheel to firstly push it back into place, then retighten all the remaining bolts. We then took a bolt from the right centre rear wheel using that to replace the missing one. I then lowered the jack and tightened all the bolts again.

So the journey continued minus one wheel stud along a road that has no idea what a straight line looks like. I was so nervous that we stopped every so often so that I could get out with the wheel brace and ensure all the nuts remained tight. One of the places we stopped was Pongaroa a tiny village with a fantastic dump station and fresh water onsite absolutely perfect in the middle of nowhere.

It’s 130kms to Masterton along a very narrow back road called route 52. With all the trees starting to lose their leaves it’s a very pretty route that I would have enjoyed all the more had I not been so nervous. Expecting one of the wheels to go rolling past me or flying off into a ditch. Thankfully however we arrived at Bridgestone in Masterton without incident.

Of course Murphy’s law prevailed with nobody having or selling a spare stud in town. Even if we had driven to Wellington the Fiat dealer would need to order the part from Auckland. The good news for us was the assurance from Bridgestone that 4 studs in the rear was more than sufficient to get us home and we could deal with the issue then. This all came about because we had new front tyres fitted around 1500kms ago and the wheel had obviously not been properly tightened once fitted. Thankfully we escaped without any serious incident to us or the motorhome but it could have been so much worse.Imagine the wheel falling off at 100kph!

To view the places we have visited click here to see them on Google maps. You can click the links to read the blog about that area. [cardoza_facebook_like_box] To view the Ratings we have done for places we have stayed click here 

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Akitio and the lost stud! As I have mentioned in previous posts about this part of the coastline it's much further than the crow flies to get from beach to beach and so it was again with another 65 kilometre drive to get from Herbertville to Akitio which are actually less than 20kms apart.

#campervan holiday New Zealand #Motorhome Blog New Zealand #Motorhome Holiday New Zealand #Motorhome Safari

[rebeccahpedersen]

Monday’s Quick Hits!

TorontoRealtyBlog

There’s something about a long weekend always leaves me “ready” to go back to work.  Is that odd?

Long weekends often leave the Toronto real estate market high and dry, and this weekend was no exception.

So without any ground-breaking stories from the weekend that was, let me gather a few smaller stories and off-topics for a Quick Hits to get us started this week.  A little this-and-that, some odds-and-sods, a few bits-and-pieces, and maybe a snippet or two…

Easter Risk/Reward

Every year, we have the same conversation about whether or not to list your home before the Easter/Passover long weekend.

And every year, we’re fascinated with the single-family home owners that do.

It’s a risk/reward equation for sure, and one for which I could make an argument either way.

Consider that there’s an ever-present “chicken and egg” relationship between buyers and sellers.  The buyers are only active when there are properties to see.  The sellers only want to list when the buyers are out in full force.  This is why the single-family housing market is far more cyclical than the condo market, as families are more likely to take vacations in the summer after the completion of the school year, or go away for long weekends.

Buyers are away, and sellers are away.  The sellers aren’t selling because the buyers aren’t buying.

So as a seller, do you want to list your property before a long weekend, when you know a massive chunk of the buyer pool won’t be around to see it?

That’s the downside, of course.

The upside is that you’ll have far less competition.

We saw a handful of freehold properties listed last week, with offer dates on the Tuesday following Easter Monday.

It will be very interesting to see how these properties fare…

–

Lockbox Lament

I have a listing coming onto the market in one particular condo building downtown, where the board of directors has instituted new rules regarding lockboxes that are going to make things very tricky.

For years, lockboxes for this particular building were on the railing at the side of the building.  And over time, you’d see the lockboxes pile up, as Realtors neglected to come pick them up after the sale had closed.  I recall showing in this building a year ago, when there were about 15 lockboxes, and only one unit for sale.

The board of directors decided to act, and so they cut off ALL the existing lockboxes, and then determined that lockboxes must be kept in a designated area inside the front foyer of the building.

Totally reasonable, right?

Except that this is a very small, boutique building, with no concierge.

The board determined that with the unit key being kept inside the building, Realtors would gain access by using the intercom to buzz the owner.

See the problem here?

In this red-hot market, we might see 80 showings in a week.

That’s 80 times that the seller has to answer his or her phone, and buzz somebody into the building.

What if the seller wasn’t available?  What if he or she was in a meeting, or on a flight?

I understand the security issues here, and I understand that the world does not revolve around real estate showings.  I also know that many of you might say, “Tough luck.  It’s the seller’s responsibility to allow access to his unit, if he wants to sell!”

But every buyer that doesn’t get access to the building is a lost potential offer.

And it’s my job to maximize the sale value of the property.

So is it really breaking the rules, if you only break them for a week?

–

Location, Location, Location

Here’s an odd one…

There was a listing last week for a downtown loft, that had a set offer date, like most other properties in the city.

When it comes to the offer presentations, some agents do them in person, some do them by email.

When they’re in person, some agents do presentations at the property, and some do it at the brokerage.

In this case, the offers were being presented at the brokeage.

But the brokerage was in Markham!

How bizarre is that?

I can see holding offers for a King & Sherbourne property at Re/Max in the Beaches, or Royal LePage in The Kingsway.

But Markham?

On Wednesday night, to get there at 7:00pm, a downtown agent would have had to leave around 5:45pm.

We’re talking Elgin Mills here, folks.

Iwasn’t involved in this one.  I didn’t have a buyer, so I’m not complaining because I was somehow hard done by.

I just can’t understand the logic behind this.  It’s already problem-enough that the seller of this gorgeous loft hird an inexperienced, early-20’s agent who works in a completely different market to place his or her property on MLS with photos taken on an iPhone and spelling mistakes in the listing.  But why did the seller listen to the agent when he said, “We’ll hold offers 36 KM away from your condo?”

–

Not A Stickler For The Rules…

Every condominium corporation has a declaration, by-laws, and rules.

If you were to actually sit down and read through the entire package, you’d be shocked at how many by-laws and rules you’re breaking.

Two of the most-broken rules revolve around window coverings and flooring.

Think about your condo for a moment.  Consider how much hardwood or laminate flooring you have.

Now consider that in most condominiums built in the 2000’s, the Declaration states that “at least 65% of gross floor area must be covered by broadloom.”

And how many people do you think abide by that?

As for window coverings, here’s a recent example of a Status Certificate that a client and I went through:

A little aggressive, no?

“The corporation may enter the Unit without such entry being trespass and remove the blinds and/or may fine the owner….”

WOW!

Seriously, can you envision a situation where property management hires a big dude in a yellow “SECURITY” jacket to accompany a handyman up to the unit, to enter with a master key, and rip out somebody’s curtain-rod?

I don’t understand by-laws like this.  They’re almost never enforced.

Maybe they just have to include them in case somebody wants to hang a 20 x 10 Coca-Cola banner in the window, or install purple drapes with flashing lights.

–

Billiard Balls & BBQ…

Do you have a pool table in your building?

If you do, would you agree that it kinda, sorta, maybe makes sense to keep the billiard balls down at the concierge, and have residents go “sign them out” to keep track of who is using (and abusing) the table?

I think we all wish that people are responsible enough to not lose one ball from the set that would render the set useless.  And I think short of keeping a video recording of what goes on in the room, having people sign out the billiard set is a way to know who is coming and going, and thus who spilled beer on the table, or sliced the felt with an awful miss of the cue ball, or broke a cue over their knee after a bad loss.

In lieu of a sign-out process, the condominium corporation would essentially have to build a maintenance cost into their budget every year, assuming somebody will do something stupid.

But what do you think about putting a chain on the common BBQ, complete with a padlock?

There are at least two condos that I know of that implement this “feature” in the building.

There is a BBQ on the rooftop terrace, but just like when you want to play billiards, you have to go to concierge, and sign the log!

You’re then handed  small key, which opens a MASTER padlock, which is attached to two large chains that wrap around the lid of the BBQ.

So put the key in the lock, unwrap the chains, and voila!  Just a cozy little dinner at your warm and inviting condo terrace.

What do you think, folks?

Is this overkill?  Or are we at the point where we just can’t trust people anymore?

Is the issue that people leave the BBQ dirty?  Or that they leave the gas on?  Or that they grew up in a household where the igniter button was always broken so they think you light a BBQ by turning the gas on, and throwing matches at it from ten feet away?

I think it’s a fair assumption that in order for a condominium corporation to get to this point, they must have had a major incident.

But that’s just my assumption.  Perhaps the board of directors are both just nuts…

–

A Breath of Fresh Air

Here’s something I’ve never seen before…

My buyer clients were bidding on a house two weeks ago, and upon reading through the home inspection, we realized that the Air Conditioner wasn’t inspected.

There were notes about the age of the unit, but the unit was, according to the inspection, “inaccessible.”

While I’m sure you’re not making mental notes of where the A/C units are located at your home, your mother’s house, your friends’ house, and the house next door, in your mind’s eye, you can picture the box-sized units sitting in front of the house, or elevated above the ground at the side of the house, or in the backyard.

Some people get creative, and build around the unsightly contraptions, whether they’re located in the front yard with the garden gnomes, or in the backyard next to the patio set.

And then some people, in trying to put the units out of sight, forget that you might, possibly, maybe, one day need to access the damn thing!

The house on which we bid had central air conditioning, but the unit was located under the back deck.  And unlike, well, every unit I’ve ever seen that’s under a back deck, this unit was completely inaccessible.  These geniuses built a goddam deck over-top of the unit!

Where’s the logic in that?  How did this come to pass?

In building a deck, you likely have a couple of trades-people who are outside measuring and cutting lumber, carefully planning, using levels, perhaps even pouring a concrete foundation.  So in the midst all of this skill and preparation, not once did these folks ever realize they were entombing the A/C unit?

In the end, the home inspector had to “take the sellers’ word for it,” and note that the A/C unit was present, when it wasn’t seen, and specify the age of the unit, according to the seller.

It’s something so seemingly insignificant, but any time I see something in this business for the first time, it’s worth noting.

–

So what lays ahead for the market now that we’re through Spring Break and the Easter/Passover long weekend?

I expect the market to pick up significantly this week, and we’re going to see a lot of new listings, right across the board, in every location, style, and price.

A lot of folks used this past weekend for the final clean-up or de-clutter of their homes, hoping the April market bears fruit.

I think the new inventory levels will be strong, and as a result, perhaps the downright insanity that exists in some segments of the market might dissipate.

Oh – and TREB stats will be released later this week.  I’m sure we’ll have a LOT to talk about…

The post Monday’s Quick Hits! appeared first on Toronto Real Estate Property Sales & Investments | Toronto Realty Blog by David Fleming.

Originated from https://ift.tt/2H3lLKt

[courtneygall]

Winter Has Arrived... (and is nearly gone)

To start with, I know I fell off the wagon in terms of keeping up with this blog… my apologies. In all honestly, other than reading week (which fell in April), my life here was pretty typical of any Physio student - Running a few km’s, playing rec sports, and of course, studying.

Easter was the first holiday away from home, so in order to make it somewhat normal, my roommate and I invited our classmates over for dinner. Did I cook a turkey… that answer is no. I swear, you cannot find a turkey in this country anywhere during Easter time. Believe me, I looked for weeks. The worst is that you see a million on campus everyday. Apparently, you can only buy turkeys during the Christmas season.

And then began the real holidays. My friend Michelle, who I met during my undergrad in Edmonton, came to visit before flying to the Caribbean where she started Medical School. (Thanks again for coming girl <3) Immediately upon picking her up from the airport, a group of us jumped in my rental car (Yes, haha they let me drive here) and headed out to Noosa Beach. The beach itself was really sweet, but if you ever make the trip out here, I highly suggest taking the hike to the “Fairy Pools”. It’s maybe a 20 minute hike out, but so worth it.

And I can’t forget the Australia Zoo. Haha, ohh I love animals. This zoo was the best zoo I have ever been to hands down. Of course I held another Koala, and pet a few Roo’s, but seeing the Tigers was awesome.

Michelle and I went back and forth in terms of where we should go for the remainder of the week. We were obviously going to stay in Australia, but in terms of which city we wanted to go… we couldn’t make a decision. So, how did we decide? We each packed a duffle bag, showed up to the airport early morning and decided to take the next flight out. I have to admit, it is pretty exciting showing up to an airport with no ticket.

3 hours later, we ended up in Sydney! The transit system in Sydney is amazing. We literally hopped on the train at the airport and it was a 20-minute ride into the city. After we hopped off the train, we walked about 3 blocks where we found several hostels. Yes, this was also both of our first hostel experience. It actually was not back at all. We stayed in a large room with 4 other people; all of who were really nice.

As I’m sure all of you seen pictures on facebook, we did quite a few things including a tour of the Blue Mountain’s, surf lessons at Bondi Beach, jet boat tour of the harbour, and the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. I can’t believe it took me 5 months of being in this country before I tried surfing – it is so much fun. If you snowboard, you’ll pick up on surfing quickly.

And after the week went by, it was back to the grind at Uni for the remainder of the semester. Again, I am going to say how much I love this program, and my decision to go abroad. From a traveling perspective, which is what most of you see back in Canada, Australia is a beautiful country. But there are so many things that I have learned outside of university throughout this experience that many of you don’t see or hear about. Although I could go on for hours of all of the life lessons I have encountered on, I think the biggest for me so far, was learning to live in the moment. It’s hard to believe that 8 months have already gone by. Obviously I miss Canada. I love Canada. But I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who is thinking about studying abroad.

Last, but not least, this is what Canadian’s do once Winter has arrived in Australia.

I promised I’ll be better with the blog. Believe me. It took me 2 hours to figure out how to log back in because I couldn’t remember my yahoo email that I had to create just for this thing. Lesson learned.

Courtney

[whiterabbitpeak]

Langkawi.

A postcard perfect island paradise

Captains Log Day 7 - 30/12/16 6:32pm. AirAsia Flight AK6321.

Escaping Pagoda life after several delays, gate changes and frantic bowel movements we were able to keep the innards of the captain’s stomach confined. We arrived at the island of Langkawi late and exhausted. Wikipedia break – Langkawi is officially known as Jewel of Kedah, is an archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia.

After some initial hotel drama and a few phone calls to the Expedia pirates we were able to check in to our hotel. The clock had already stuck 10 and our options for food and intoxication were limited. In the spirt of adventure and despite the exhaustion, the Admiral and Captain went on a scout mission to explore the newfound land. The Captains 48-hour food poisoned fast was concluded with a mushroom soup and small personal pan pizza at Pizza hut. The first observation of the island was that of the reappearance of indoor kitchens and the concept of refrigeration of perishable goods. Feeling the energy slowly re-enter his body, his stomach was getting reacquainted with it role in breaking down food matter.

The first day on the island started once again with skipping breakfast, we were soon planning our adventures for the next few days. This Island had a LOT to do and explore. So without wasting any time on food, or any other necessities we were off and first up was the mighty Langkawi Cable car complex. The cable car takes you to a view point that is 708m above sea-level and is about 5 °C cooler than the lowlands. The total length is 2.2 km - The gradient or the slope between the Base Station and the Middle Station is said to be the second steepest in the world at 42°, right after Israel's Rosh HaNikra cable car. Here the views were special. Just breath-taking. #nowords (you might get this hashtag a few times in this log), photos, selfies and everything touristy later, we headed down and explored the remainder of the complex. First up was a Sky Dome which was a half dome like ceiling cinema – here we were shown a random film of us on a rollercoaster on mars – the graphics resembled rollercoaster tycoon 2 (a game released in 2002). Keeping the kids entertained we got into it and started putting our arms in the air and yelling as if we were in a normal rollercoaster. I don’t think the Adults in the show understood. Next up was the Sky Rex. A 3D ride which might be a law suit waiting to happen if the Jurassic park franchise find out. A train that’s taken to a 360-degree cinema in which we watch 3d movie Dinosaur park malfunction with T-Rex attacking our little car as it moved about on the spot. Once again the Adults did not appreciate the Admiral and Captain yelling about like the children. The last attraction to visit was the 3d art gallery. Known as Art in Paradise, this is the largest 3D art museum in Malaysia and the second largest in the world. Despite the Captain’s constant cringing at the tourist poses amongst the artwork, the Admiral managed to get in the mood and take a few engulfing art photographs. Finishing up a day’s worth of activities we left the complex only to see a road sign pointing to the Seven Wells waterfalls. Despite the heat and the 600 steps we had to endure the Admiral and Captain were hiking up to the waterfalls, here the Admiral took a quick dip as the Captain lulled around exhausted in the shade. Just when you thought that the day was packed enough, we were on-board a taxi to Cenang Beach, the tourist hub of Langkawi. This place was a girl’s best friend, shopping left right and centre, the next few hours was dedicated to grabbing gifts and pushing the haggling to the limit. Although there was an instance when the Admiral requested the shop keeper to lower the price to MYR10 when the item was only MYR5 #nowords. The day finished up with some Indian food at a restaurant which had rats, getting overcharged and a 50% surcharge on the cab ride home due to the late night fees.

Day 2 of Island life started early, this time we snuck in a running breakfast as our pickup arrived to take us away to the MegaSports jet ski tour. The jet ski tour consisted of 12 participants and 2 instructors. The tour involved you to pilot your own jet ski for 5 hours, as you hit the open ocean to visit 8 islands around Langkawi. This has to be one of my favourite experiences of my life, I cannot explain how fun it was #nowords. Open Ocean. Personal Jet ski. Top speed: 70 KM per hour. Recommended speed: 60kmph. Choppy ocean waters. Summer Sun. Most beautiful water. Picturesque surroundings. The Captain and Admiral were in heaven. Born to pirate, the next 5 hours involved almost capsizing 6 times, multiple instances of the jet ski feeling like it’s going to break, large portions of airtime and constant yelling at the top of our lungs. At some point the Captain, despite warnings from the tour operators discovered how to change the jet ski into sports mode, what ensued was a lot more airtime and a significant more amount of yelling from the Admiral. We were able to swim in a freshwater lake, swim in the ocean, see a random monkey fight break out and take some open water selfies. This is a MUST do for any visitor to Langkawi. Despite the instructor warning us to keep re-applying sunscreen the Admiral disembarked the jet ski looking like a lobster. Her legs looking like the Harvey Dent of Langkawi - half burnt to a crisp and the other half, white like a line of the Colombia’s finest. Up next was SkyTrex – a Jungle obstacle course. Unfortunately for the Admiral the words beginner or amateur does not exist in the Captain’s vocabulary, Intermediate course was selected (l33t >  Noob). Challenging, physically exhausting, arms weak, palms are sweaty and if we continued even for 5 minutes more there would be vomit on his sweater already – mom’s spaghetti. The next 90 minutes were spent, climbing on ladders to the top of trees, crawling through nets, balancing over Highwire and Ziplining across treetops. All done 22 meters above ground, with safety clips that needed to be attached and detached to metal wires as you proceeded. This was tough. At times the Captain’s arms gave up and he just wanted to fall. Sweat reached points of his body he did not know it could venture. Yet both Admiral and Captain continued – completing the course in above average time. Completing the course felt like body pump, CrossFit and boot camp session combined and completed in 33 degrees blaring sun. Drenched, limp but not defeated the Captain and Admiral headed back to the hotel. The sheer adrenaline still pumping through us, we decided to walk up to the famous Langkawi eagle. Departing the hotel with a 25-minute walk timeframe in mind, the walk took an exhausting 70 minutes. Unimpressed by the giant statue of the eagle, we convinced the staff at Papa Rich to feed us and we headed back for a much-needed rest.

Breakfast was a miss again as we slept to give the body some time to heal. The Admiral had entered Lobster life, her legs resembling the local rambutans, the Captain’s shoulders had also been cooked but, unlike the admiral the pain was non-existent. Without wasting any time, we left to visit the secluded and beautiful beach of Tanjung Rhu. The sun in full form was bleaching the beach with its heat, we decided to find some shade and sit. Here the captain decided to change into his bathers without taking off his shorts, the challenge was great and the result was a commando style Captain.  it was not long before the the heat became uncomfortable, we went to the local ghetto food store (making sure they had electricity and a fridge), here both the Admiral and Captain managed to stomach some of the food presented. Post our semi eaten meals, the Captain heard the calling of water vessels – following his instinct both the Admiral and Captain ended up at the jetty and were able to convince a local sailor to show them around the famous Langkawi mangroves. We boarded the speedboat and were off, the feeling of the air hitting your face as you criuse the most beautiful landscape is incredible and not able to be captured by camera #nowords. We sailed around, being taken to see the sea eagles and the Langkawi eagles feasting on chicken skin, then off to see some monkeys as they boarded, and possibly overran another tourist vessel. Next up was the Crocodile cave - nope I was not able to feed the Admiral to crocodiles, as there were none or ever were any. Followed by a bat cave, no not ‘THE’ bat cave (disappointment on the Captain’s face was evident) where we saw some hanging rocks (stalactites) and bats!. There were bats just doing the bat thing (no not fighting crime). As we left the caves, the Captain heard something move in the water under him only to see a GIANT (3 meters long at least) lizard as it ran into the cave. Thinking this could be Marvel and DC crossover, he left it and the tour continued. Last up on the tour was the Fish farm. Here some crazy fish farm guy took us around as he picked up and held crabs, sharks, giant squids and the infamous pufferfish. Personally, the Captain thought the guy was going to die. The Admiral on the other hand, feeling adventurous, held the crab and proceeded to pat a Sting Ray (we may have a new Steve Irwin on our hands).  The slimy and sandpaper texture of the Stingray failed to impress the Admiral and the Captain grossed out, refused to touch her ever in his life. The tour done and dusted the crew headed back to base, a quick dip in a cold pool, some room service club sandwich later they were on their way to Cenang beach to indulge in the party life. Going first to the local night markets, which were a sea of colour for all senses. The smells indescribable, it was looking like pagoda life was sneaking back in. We then headed back to Cenang, here disaster lifted its ugly head – when the captain went to withdraw money, the ATM processed the withdrawal but didn’t give any cash out. A stressful time ensued contacting banks and raising disputes. Stay tuned to see how this pans out. Breaking away from the mood spoiling experience we ventured to the beach where we were jet skiing a few days ago, we found a very buzzing night life, with beach bars and shisha cafes littered across the landscape. The Admiral pointed out a bar which had beanbags – fascinated we took a seat and asked for the menu, 5 minutes later, the admiral was sipping on a mojito and holding the shisha pipe, whilst the captain had in his had a GIANT bucket of Vodka and lemonade. I have to take time out to explain how big this bucket was – it was DOUBLE the size of the ones in Thailand with 450 ml of Vodka. The next 4 hours consisted of shisha and bucket sipping. Finally getting up heavily intoxicated and stumbling out onto the Cenang strip, most places shutting for the night we decided to pay homage to our roots and do a drunk maccas run. Tip: when in Aisa do not order the Prosperity burger at McDonalds unless you are looking for Pepper in the middle of 2 burger buns. The night was over for both of us when we boarded the cab and struggled into our room collapsing on our beds and passing out.

Hung over from the Captains bucket idea and dedicated to not missing breakfast on our last day, we entered the dining halls of our hotel 15 minutes before the breakfast was over. Still tasting last night’s Mcdonalds burgers, we sipped on our coffees and hoped the chatter in the room would just cease. With 12 hours remaining before our flight we packed up and left our bags and ventured to visit the unimpressive eagle once again, hanging in the mall to avoid the sun. The Admiral found a park and we lay in the gazebo surrounded by geckos (5) that were planning a civil uprising (tensions were high when we left). Here we rested before grabbing some kababs for lunch and moving to Starbucks for some WiFi and dirty chai latte like the Captain has never had before (a chai teabag dipped in milk and 2 shots of coffee). With nothing exceptional to report from the last few hours of the Langkawi adventure we departed for the airport, knowing that the closing hours of 2016 were inching closer.  

#work #langkawi

[licencedtoretire]

Arriving at the NZMCA camp at Westport it was nice to be so close to the beach even if it was now a little cold to be dipping our toes in the water. The smell of the sea does wonders as a pick me up and the rugged scenery of the coast is so apparent from this point.

It was actually our intention to be here in February when we visited Golden Bay and Takaka but with the first cyclone that came through the country about then the West Coast was hit very hard with damage to the coastline road closures and worst of all the camp in Westport closed due to the large amount of debris washed up against the fence and over the access road.

The debris is still there in some places it’s metres deep up against the trees that also appear to have been killed off by the storm surge that would have swamped them. It is good to see though that the recycling process has started with people arriving with chainsaws and cutting logs to cart away for firewood although I would imagine it would need quite a bit of drying out.

As we wandered around the town we came across an area of housing close to the campsite that had been severely affected during the same storm with extensive flooding that was waist deep in some houses. It was sad to see that almost 3 months later the houses where sitting here empty with all carpet lifted and the gibboard cut from the walls above the flood level. In some of the streets there are multiple houses waiting to be repaired with no real sign of work starting. All rather sad.

Like almost every other town we have visited if the suns out then so are our bikes. The other day I was thinking about the places we have missed out on seeing because we cannot access them with the motorhome and realised that this pales into insignificance compared to the places we have visited with the bikes or on foot. Not to mention the kilos that have been lost with all this exercise.

So it was a huge milestone for me when my bike kicked over 1000kms since we had brought them late last year. Even though it’s an Ebike these days we almost never use the battery part of the bike but it’s great to have it there if needed.

Directly behind the NZMCA camp is a cycle trail that winds through the bushes towards the breakwater were on a wonderful West Coast day we were treated to blue skys flat water and some terrific views. This sort of day is one to be treasured in an area that gets over 200 days of rain a year.

Imagine our surprise when we saw these little pony carts heading along the road. What a great way to keep kids amused during the school holidays.

We have seen all sorts of things on fences along the roadside during our travels with shoes and bra’s seeming to be a common theme. But on a diversion down a quiet side street on the outskirts of town we came across the above fence containing mostly clocks but also various measuring devices. Maybe someones private collection that they have chosen a rather strange place to mount the stuff? who knows but it was great to see.

Also on the outskirts of town are not two but three cemeteries dating from various different time periods. I don’t know what it is about these places but both Sarah and I find it fascinating to wander around looking at various gravestones, maybe it helps give us a sense of the history of the area. Anyway these are two of the wonderful headstones we came across.

Back at the camp and after a short stroll along the beach it was time to put our feet up and enjoy such a gorgeous day. It’s a tough life sometimes but I guess someone has to be the one to suffer!

The following day with the sun still shining, maybe this is some sort of record for the coast we decided that we would visit Denniston an old coal mining area that has been extensively restored by DOC and the local preservation society. People we had talked to had all said this is a must view.

It’s not to far up the road from Westport to get to the turn off for Denniston then it’s just a matter of traversing 8 kms of winding steep road as you work your way towards the mine. It really is a bit of a slog and we were both glad that we weren’t doing this in the old Mitis camper, it would not have liked this hill.

The views once you arrive at the top are absolutely stunning especially on a day like this with almost no clouds in the sky. With a dedicated parking area just for motorhomes, where you can spend the night freedom camping if you wish, It was easy to find parking before setting out to explore the area.

Again it was one of those moments of were do I point the camera first there was just so much to see. They do however have it very well organised with the walk starting at what remains of one of the old buildings where there are multiple signboards that explain the history of the mine the people involved and the buildings both past and present. The walk then sets off with a one way path to follow that will ensure you get to see everything.

Walking down from the reception area (if you can call it that) we walked past this piece of winching equipment that certainly looked like it had the power to pull numerous coal buckets wherever they needed to go. Strangely there was nothing nearby to say what it was actually for but we assumed it might have been part of the aerial ropeway that moved the coal down the hillside later in the history of the mine.

It’s a short walk to the viewing platform that allow you to see the path the coal tenders used to take down the hill on the unmanned rope railway, so as one tender went down the hill it pulled an empty tender back up the hill, Quite an ingenious system.

Standing on the viewing platform however doesn’t seem to convey how steep the drop was until you walk over the edge. It’s really easy to imagine the tenders thundering over the edge as they then clatter their way down the hill. The restoration that has been done here by DOC and others is just fantastic I would suggest that this is also a must view if you are in this part of the West Coast.

The plateau area above the hill has a number of stations that where needed to run the rope railway, so called because the coal tenders were lashed to a rope that maintained a steady speed both up and down hill it also allowed the tenders to be brought back up the hill. All of this was powered by an enormous engine that drove this, you can only imagine the noise all of this would have created.

Interestingly the work day ran from 5am until 2.30pm with only one shift scheduled for the day but almost everyday they ran overtime till around 5pm (at least according to the sign board) so plenty of work for those employed here.

We took a walk along a ridge that runs below the main working area that was covered in old rusting pieces of equipment it’s like they just tipped the stuff of the edge and left it there to rot. Obviously they had never heard of recycling.

This same ridge was the home to 45 families in the earlier days of the mine this is because almost all of the flat land on top of the hill was used by the mine and given it was 8kms back to the flat land at the bottom of the hill it was to far to commute each day.

Following the path down from the ridge we got to see the remnants of the old arches that were used to help the railway access the more remote parts of the mine. Naturally given the collapsing state of this area you cannot walk along the top of this area.

After walking back up the path we went to see just how close we could get to the arches. To get close you need to walk past the old railway sheds where they repaired anything associated with the railway. However from here you cannot get any closer with the old railway line fenced off.

Sadly in early 2017 what was a major tourist experience here, a ride into the mine along the railway from this point closed due to changes to the health and safety laws. Although I am not sure I would have done the ride being somewhat claustrophobic it would have been interesting to get a professional tour of the area.

The whole area is one of those place no matter which way you turn there seems to be something new to see. So making a day out of the trip here would be a fairly easy thing to do.

Walking back to the motorhome both Sarah and I were surprised to see these cars parked in an area clearly marked for campervans only especially when the carpark just to the right was completely empty. We worked out that since there were picnic tables here overlooking the ridge with none at the next carpark that that’s probably why they had parked here. Just as well there weren’t a lot of motorhomes as the carpark was way to small for a vehicle our size.

Returning to the NZMCA camp for the night but with still plenty of daylight left we decided that we would follow the path into the town. A really nice walk developed along the sides of the river with boardwalks over the swampy areas. It was a great way to spend a couple of hours.

We had an interesting experience coming across this horse, saddled up but with no rider in sight. The horse was running backwards and forwards looking rather distressed at times, like where is my master/mistress in fact we both wondered if the rider had been thrown off somewhere.

Obvious there were a few concerned people as this was close to the boat ramp. Then Sarah spotted one of the local ladies who suggested that the horse probably belonged to the person who had walked past us with one of his ponies a few minutes before. However later as we walked back past the local racecourse we saw a number of horses here running round and wondered if it might have escaped from here as it was very close to the point we saw the horse.

Westport doesn’t appear to have a many historic places as some of the other towns we have visited on the Wet Coast (slip of the keyboard here but I thought it was a apt name) however this magnificent building looked so majestic with the late afternoon sun lighting up the building.

From here it’s on to the Heapy Track but that’s the next blog.

      Westport and Denniston Arriving at the NZMCA camp at Westport it was nice to be so close to the beach even if it was now a little cold to be dipping our toes in the water.

[rebeccahpedersen]

Quick Hits!

TorontoRealtyBlog

There’s something about a long weekend always leaves me “ready” to go back to work.  Is that odd?

Long weekends often leave the Toronto real estate market high and dry, and this weekend was no exception.

So without any ground-breaking stories from the weekend that was, let me gather a few smaller stories and off-topics for a Quick Hits to get us started this week.  A little this-and-that, some odds-and-sods, a few bits-and-pieces, and maybe a snippet or two…

Easter Risk/Reward

Every year, we have the same conversation about whether or not to list your home before the Easter/Passover long weekend.

And every year, we’re fascinated with the single-family home owners that do.

It’s a risk/reward equation for sure, and one for which I could make an argument either way.

Consider that there’s an ever-present “chicken and egg” relationship between buyers and sellers.  The buyers are only active when there are properties to see.  The sellers only want to list when the buyers are out in full force.  This is why the single-family housing market is far more cyclical than the condo market, as families are more likely to take vacations in the summer after the completion of the school year, or go away for long weekends.

Buyers are away, and sellers are away.  The sellers aren’t selling because the buyers aren’t buying.

So as a seller, do you want to list your property before a long weekend, when you know a massive chunk of the buyer pool won’t be around to see it?

That’s the downside, of course.

The upside is that you’ll have far less competition.

We saw a handful of freehold properties listed last week, with offer dates on the Tuesday following Easter Monday.

It will be very interesting to see how these properties fare…

–

Lockbox Lament

I have a listing coming onto the market in one particular condo building downtown, where the board of directors has instituted new rules regarding lockboxes that are going to make things very tricky.

For years, lockboxes for this particular building were on the railing at the side of the building.  And over time, you’d see the lockboxes pile up, as Realtors neglected to come pick them up after the sale had closed.  I recall showing in this building a year ago, when there were about 15 lockboxes, and only one unit for sale.

The board of directors decided to act, and so they cut off ALL the existing lockboxes, and then determined that lockboxes must be kept in a designated area inside the front foyer of the building.

Totally reasonable, right?

Except that this is a very small, boutique building, with no concierge.

The board determined that with the unit key being kept inside the building, Realtors would gain access by using the intercom to buzz the owner.

See the problem here?

In this red-hot market, we might see 80 showings in a week.

That’s 80 times that the seller has to answer his or her phone, and buzz somebody into the building.

What if the seller wasn’t available?  What if he or she was in a meeting, or on a flight?

I understand the security issues here, and I understand that the world does not revolve around real estate showings.  I also know that many of you might say, “Tough luck.  It’s the seller’s responsibility to allow access to his unit, if he wants to sell!”

But every buyer that doesn’t get access to the building is a lost potential offer.

And it’s my job to maximize the sale value of the property.

So is it really breaking the rules, if you only break them for a week?

–

Location, Location, Location

Here’s an odd one…

There was a listing last week for a downtown loft, that had a set offer date, like most other properties in the city.

When it comes to the offer presentations, some agents do them in person, some do them by email.

When they’re in person, some agents do presentations at the property, and some do it at the brokerage.

In this case, the offers were being presented at the brokeage.

But the brokerage was in Markham!

How bizarre is that?

I can see holding offers for a King & Sherbourne property at Re/Max in the Beaches, or Royal LePage in The Kingsway.

But Markham?

On Wednesday night, to get there at 7:00pm, a downtown agent would have had to leave around 5:45pm.

We’re talking Elgin Mills here, folks.

Iwasn’t involved in this one.  I didn’t have a buyer, so I’m not complaining because I was somehow hard done by.

I just can’t understand the logic behind this.  It’s already problem-enough that the seller of this gorgeous loft hird an inexperienced, early-20’s agent who works in a completely different market to place his or her property on MLS with photos taken on an iPhone and spelling mistakes in the listing.  But why did the seller listen to the agent when he said, “We’ll hold offers 36 KM away from your condo?”

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Not A Stickler For The Rules…

Every condominium corporation has a declaration, by-laws, and rules.

If you were to actually sit down and read through the entire package, you’d be shocked at how many by-laws and rules you’re breaking.

Two of the most-broken rules revolve around window coverings and flooring.

Think about your condo for a moment.  Consider how much hardwood or laminate flooring you have.

Now consider that in most condominiums built in the 2000’s, the Declaration states that “at least 65% of gross floor area must be covered by broadloom.”

And how many people do you think abide by that?

As for window coverings, here’s a recent example of a Status Certificate that a client and I went through:

A little aggressive, no?

“The corporation may enter the Unit without such entry being trespass and remove the blinds and/or may fine the owner….”

WOW!

Seriously, can you envision a situation where property management hires a big dude in a yellow “SECURITY” jacket to accompany a handyman up to the unit, to enter with a master key, and rip out somebody’s curtain-rod?

I don’t understand by-laws like this.  They’re almost never enforced.

Maybe they just have to include them in case somebody wants to hang a 20 x 10 Coca-Cola banner in the window, or install purple drapes with flashing lights.

–

Billiard Balls & BBQ…

Do you have a pool table in your building?

If you do, would you agree that it kinda, sorta, maybe makes sense to keep the billiard balls down at the concierge, and have residents go “sign them out” to keep track of who is using (and abusing) the table?

I think we all wish that people are responsible enough to not lose one ball from the set that would render the set useless.  And I think short of keeping a video recording of what goes on in the room, having people sign out the billiard set is a way to know who is coming and going, and thus who spilled beer on the table, or sliced the felt with an awful miss of the cue ball, or broke a cue over their knee after a bad loss.

In lieu of a sign-out process, the condominium corporation would essentially have to build a maintenance cost into their budget every year, assuming somebody will do something stupid.

But what do you think about putting a chain on the common BBQ, complete with a padlock?

There are at least two condos that I know of that implement this “feature” in the building.

There is a BBQ on the rooftop terrace, but just like when you want to play billiards, you have to go to concierge, and sign the log!

You’re then handed  small key, which opens a MASTER padlock, which is attached to two large chains that wrap around the lid of the BBQ.

So put the key in the lock, unwrap the chains, and voila!  Just a cozy little dinner at your warm and inviting condo terrace.

What do you think, folks?

Is this overkill?  Or are we at the point where we just can’t trust people anymore?

Is the issue that people leave the BBQ dirty?  Or that they leave the gas on?  Or that they grew up in a household where the igniter button was always broken so they think you light a BBQ by turning the gas on, and throwing matches at it from ten feet away?

I think it’s a fair assumption that in order for a condominium corporation to get to this point, they must have had a major incident.

But that’s just my assumption.  Perhaps the board of directors are both just nuts…

–

A Breath of Fresh Air

Here’s something I’ve never seen before…

My buyer clients were bidding on a house two weeks ago, and upon reading through the home inspection, we realized that the Air Conditioner wasn’t inspected.

There were notes about the age of the unit, but the unit was, according to the inspection, “inaccessible.”

While I’m sure you’re not making mental notes of where the A/C units are located at your home, your mother’s house, your friends’ house, and the house next door, in your mind’s eye, you can picture the box-sized units sitting in front of the house, or elevated above the ground at the side of the house, or in the backyard.

Some people get creative, and build around the unsightly contraptions, whether they’re located in the front yard with the garden gnomes, or in the backyard next to the patio set.

And then some people, in trying to put the units out of sight, forget that you might, possibly, maybe, one day need to access the damn thing!

The house on which we bid had central air conditioning, but the unit was located under the back deck.  And unlike, well, every unit I’ve ever seen that’s under a back deck, this unit was completely inaccessible.  These geniuses built a goddam deck over-top of the unit!

Where’s the logic in that?  How did this come to pass?

In building a deck, you likely have a couple of trades-people who are outside measuring and cutting lumber, carefully planning, using levels, perhaps even pouring a concrete foundation.  So in the midst all of this skill and preparation, not once did these folks ever realize they were entombing the A/C unit?

In the end, the home inspector had to “take the sellers’ word for it,” and note that the A/C unit was present, when it wasn’t seen, and specify the age of the unit, according to the seller.

It’s something so seemingly insignificant, but any time I see something in this business for the first time, it’s worth noting.

–

So what lays ahead for the market now that we’re through Spring Break and the Easter/Passover long weekend?

I expect the market to pick up significantly this week, and we’re going to see a lot of new listings, right across the board, in every location, style, and price.

A lot of folks used this past weekend for the final clean-up or de-clutter of their homes, hoping the April market bears fruit.

I think the new inventory levels will be strong, and as a result, perhaps the downright insanity that exists in some segments of the market might dissipate.

Oh – and TREB stats will be released later this week.  I’m sure we’ll have a LOT to talk about…

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