Brisbane Queensland Australia: What a shocker to discover that at Sydney I had to collect my luggage, exit the airport and travel to the domestic airport and check back in again. They decided to break the rules and send us prior to our luggage, and in my case, that meant waiting at Brisbane airport for 2 hours post-arrival just to retrieve my luggage. My time in Brisbane was mainly spent staying with relatives and living a mundane existence. Although my daughter apologized for not providing me with more entertainment that having a baby throw up all over me; that type of 'daily life' was in fact quite novel for me, being as it is, something other than what I experience in China.
For Several years now I have been writing about my experiences in China, for example climbing Mt. Emei in SiChuan. Along the way I have also written about my trip to the Philippines, and published some of Brisbane City's Captain Sandy Stewart's travels. I have also published an article about my home state of Queensland. Today I am just going to publish a few photos taken on my recent trip home to Australia. I have already written about my Nightmare Trip back to China (which also included some photos).
When I traveled home, my ticket had me flying from Shanghai to Sydney and transferring to a domestic flight to Brisbane. The time between arrival in Sydney and departure for Brisbane was just 2 hours. All my previous trips were out of Hong Kong or Beijing, and I flew direct to Brisbane.
What a shocker to discover that at Sydney I had to collect my luggage, exit the airport and travel to the domestic airport and check back in again. Fortunately for myself and fellow travelers, we made it to the domestic terminal within an hour of landing. Unfortunately we had to stand in a long long queue in order to check back in. By the time we got to the counter, we were informed that it was too late to put our baggage on board and that we would have to take a later flight. We only had to wait an hour - no big deal.
Parkland near the Dolphin Feeding area
Then problem was that as that plane was boarding, an announcement was made that there was some technical difficulty with the aircraft and we had to disembark and wait for a replacement. Then when that plane arrived, we were told that priority was being given to passengers travelling beyond Brisbane. So we still had to wait. Fortunately we did not wait too long, because they began to shuttle us off to other aircraft. I had no sooner boarded my plane when they announced that the doors were closing and the aircraft was preparing to depart.
On the other side of the parkland previous photo.
You would think I would be pleased yes? Not really! You see they decided to break the rules and send us prior to our luggage, and in my case, that meant waiting at Brisbane airport for 2 hours post-arrival just to retrieve my luggage.
I could go into greater detail about how my family could not find me; how the airline quoted the wrong flight number to them etc, but that would be as boring for you as it was for me waiting for my luggage.
I spent the first couple of days at my sisters place before going to stay with my daughter and he two babies that I have never met. While there, my sister informed me that her daughter had invited her and her husband to go away for a few days up the coast. She also received an invitation from my brother to accompany he and his wife on a 3 day stay at Rainbow Beach, and upon informing him that she could not go, suggested he ask me.
Which one is me?
There were only 11 photographs in the original version of this article at magic city, and all were taken at either Rainbow Beach or Tin Can Bay; the former lies on the surf side at Noosa whilst the latter lies in the inlet at Noosa. Both areas are Eco-managed for the protection of various species of wildlife. (In 2013 many more of these photographs have been incorporated into different stories.)
If there is one thing that I really miss in China, apart from the blue skies and pollution free air; it is the beach. Noosa, where Rainbow Beach is located, is just south of Fraser Island. Although the surf beaches have for years been gradually eroding, they still remain beautiful. The sand cliffs there are noteworthy for their varieties of coloured sand.
Dolphin Arriving for his early morning feed
Definitely not afraid of people
He is playing with a leaf.
The shoreline is also famous for something completely man-made and somewhat polluting. While it may not be too obvious by just looking at this photo, it does in fact demonstrate that to which I refer; four-wheel drivers who misjudge the time and tides and get bogged during incoming tides. Fortunately for these people, they were Egyptian Muslims who found it easy to submit to the will of Allah.
My time in Brisbane was mainly spent staying with relatives and living a mundane existence. Although my daughter apologized for not providing me with more entertainment that having a baby throw up all over me; that type of 'daily life' was in fact quite novel for me, being as it is, something other than what I experience in China.
If you ever find yourself in the Sunshine state, do take a run up to Noosa and take a look at what it offers. I been to the Mediterranean (Marseilles, Nice) but I think Queensland Beaches have more to offer and are by far more beautiful.
That is just my opinion of course! You can have your own!
Hinterland behind the coast near Noosa.
I hope you have enjoyed this little story and the photographs.
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R.P. BenDedek
Email: rpbendedek@hotmail.com
Additional Stories and Photos Connected with this trip
The Jinibara people are from the D'Aguilar Range and surrounding areas. The word 'Jini' means 'place of lawyer cane'. Aboriginal people used the stem of lawyer cane as a handle for knives and axes. The stem of the vine was split into two and folded over the sharpened axe head. Grasstree resin and kangaroo tail sinew were used to bind the handle and axe head. I took a lot of photos of this place years ago, but it was a long time before I noticed that some of the carvings are quite obscene. This area on the south side of the Brisbane River holds a public beach, the Entertainment Center, the State Library, and weekend Markets
A Male Steward came off the plane and walked over to me and said: "It's alright! We aren't going to leave without you! Calm down! Catch your breath!" The 'So and So' was right. It was still another 30 minutes before we took off! I on the other hand was watching the driver through his rear view mirror. He seemed to be blinking an awful lot and his driving was a little erratic. Not that that is unusual in China, but when you are on the highway and you have 3 or 4 lanes to choose from and very little traffic, you would think that you could drive in at least one or two of those lanes for more than 500 meters at a time.
Related articles Originally Published at Magic City
The exact distance from the heart of Brisbane to Lake Baroon is unknown to me, but I can estimate that it is around 90 kilometers. It's a small manmade lake which in parts is at least 34 meters deep. This I know for a fact, because my brother, the penultimate sportsman who never likes to leave anything to chance, has a sonar device installed in the Kayak (our mode of transport for the occasion) that lets him know not just the depth of the water, but where the fish are, and whether or not it is worth the effort to circle the area in an effort to catch something.
The 'elites' of the south can keep their big metropolitan lifestyles. The people from my part of Australia love the peace and serenity to which we have grown accustomed. And if the heart of Brisbane does not offer enough to see within walking, biking or river ferry distance, we only have to jump in the car and drive for an hour in any direction, to visit some of the best scenery in the world, in Queensland, The Sunshine State.
A Male Steward came off the plane and walked over to me and said: "It's alright! We aren't going to leave without you! Calm down! Catch your breath!" The 'So and So' was right. It was still another 30 minutes before we took off! I on the other hand was watching the driver through his rear view mirror. He seemed to be blinking an awful lot and his driving was a little erratic. Not that that is unusual in China, but when you are on the highway and you have 3 or 4 lanes to choose from and very little traffic, you would think that you could drive in at least one or two of those lanes for more than 500 meters at a time.
By the time I got home and did the packing for the trip, the morning had long gone and it was around 2 pm when I head off to Wivenhoe dam with my camping and fishing gear, for some solitary piscatorial adventures. I arrived at Wivenhoe and began preparing my tent, air mattress, cooking gear etc etc, before heading off to a 'special' spot for some surface action. This area, for the first time in years, has trees semi-submerged by the recently rising water levels. The sun is already low in the sky as I get close, but before I get there, I notice the swallows circling and diving just above the water, near the bank. This is a sign that they are chasing insects. I also notice fish breaking the surface as they too attempt to catch whatever insects land on the surface. I turned off the sounder and moved silently to within casting distance and began flicking surface lures, but to no avail.
When we arrived, we noted that this place really was a resort centre. It had wave pools and other interesting things for people to enjoy, and even accommodated school tour groups with dormitory style accomodation. Opposite the breakfast room was a swimming complex, in the front of which was a very interesting sign. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring my .38 Smith and Wesson. When we went in for breakfast, we saw that the next room was set up for a wedding, and discovered that it was 'our' wedding reception. Taking a 'sticky beak', I noted that there were no knives on any of the tables. 'Ahah! Thank God I brought that solid clear plastic knife with me!'.. The whole time before and after the actual church service, the local beggars were inside the church hitting everyone for money. Oh the guilt of refusing a pittance for the poor in the house of God, but I was advised to give no one anything, for that would be more effective than the 'last trump' for the dead. All the beggars would arrive. Not that this mattered at all. Who was carrying money?
(Originally a 4 part article) On January 14th 2010, I commenced my trip back to Australia. The temperature at that time was varying between minus 15 and minus 20 degrees. It was for this Aussie, despite living in China for 7 years, truly cold. I flew from Baotou in Inner Mongolia to Beijing and stayed one night in the Beijing Aulympic Airportel. The Hotel is located very close to the airport. The fees were very very very low and that suited me fine. I did not expect however, that the hotel would be as nice as it was. Next day I flew to Hong Kong where I connected with a Qantas flight travelling to Brisbane Australia.
Today, I am using a recent letter from Jerry, to tell a story – a sad story. It is a story rooted in Ancient and Modern Chinese Culture. It is a story of an impossible love. It is a story I have heard so many times before, of families who refuse to allow their children to love whom they will. It is a story about how in the 21st century, Chinese children must still obey their parents and marry the one of whom the parents approve.
The day I was due to Leave, Zhan Yan turned up at my house saying that his summer camp had been cancelled and none of his family were in town. So guess who came with me? There is no commentary apart from the fact that it costs 50 RMB for the entrance ticket
Beijing
(Note: Chiara Braccagni's articles are in both English and Italian)
Una ridente domenica mattina di fine marzo, un'allegra comitiva di 4 giapponesi e due italiane si è inerpicata su un minibus alla volta di un villaggio a una novantina di chilometri dal centro di Pechino, Cuandixia. Cuandixia è situato nel fondo di una vallata abitato da uno sparuto numero di famiglie (circa una settantina) che hanno deciso di aprire le loro case ai turisti. I punti di ristoro sono le loro cucine; il museo delle tradizioni popolari, il soggiorno di casa.
In this file I merely present photographs accompanied by a sign at Du Fu Thatched Cottage park, and a sample of Du Fu's poems. I hope you enjoy this presentation. At the end are some links to other articles and photographic files at Magic City and KingsCalendar. The Relic Exhibition Hall is the most important Part of Du Fu Thatched Cottage. It is located on the site of Du Fu's former Residence. In the late winter of 759, Du Fu went to Chengdu to avoid the disasters caused by An Lushan Shi Rebellion. In the next year, he built a thatched cottage on the bank of the beautiful Huanhua Brook, where he lived for four years and wrote more than 240 poems.
Marxists believe that the existing society must be destroyed in order to successfully establish the new order. They believe that society, like the Phoenix must die so that out of the ashes can rise the new Phoenix. I don't think that they realise that it is the same bird that rises, not one with a new design. Cultural Marxists pay no attention to the lessons of history, and it is we who will suffer because of it. We must begin to question what we have been taught. We must begin to see where our societies are headed. And most importantly, we must stop being bystanders who believe that there is nothing that they can do. (History, accelerated by science, is compressing itself, and our misfortunes, into ever tighter spirals. Can we cope? We can if we recognize the fact that man's astonishing technological progress presents just as many dangers to society as opportunities; and if we remember that utopia, or the Kingdom of Heaven, or whatever you choose to call such a state of grace, is not something that we confer on our society with science or social institutions, but forge within our souls by an act of devotion to some thing or principle greater than ourselves: Wm. B. Fankboner
The Ancient Roman and Greek Empires are now but ruins. The British Empire which began to bud with Elizabeth I Rex and came into full bloom in the reign of Queen Victoria, is now reduced to just a 'Commonwealth of Nations'. And the Empire of the United States of America? The U.S. is only 400 years old (depending on how you define 'U.S.') whilst England is 1000 years old. Americans would hardly define themselves (at least as far as world politics goes) as an 'Imperial State' or an empire, but if one did, then surely that too would be very young, perhaps no more than 100 years.
Could the land not just be given to the Arabs 'with the trees intact'? No! Ownership of 'legally' vacant land (not identified by ownership) is based on who actually 'works' the land. Remove the 'Jewish' trees and the Arabs can claim the land for themselves. Something they have already been doing with the assistance of Anti-Israel Foreign Activists who pretend that they are not Anti-Semites.
Yesterday, Wednesday November 14th, 2012 at about 11am Beijing Time or about dawn in Israel, I published an article at Kingscalendar asking why Israel does not fight back. This morning (7 am Beijing Time) I read that Israel had commenced operations against Gaza. Tonight (6.15pm Beijing Time) as I sit in China reading world news I am disgusted by what I see.
Definition: King's Calendar Chronological Research
The Premise: Between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE (but continuing down to at least 104 BCE), Sectarian redactors transcribed the legitimate 'solar year' chronological records of Israel and Judah, into an artificial form, with listed years as each comprised of 12 months of 4 weeks of 7 days, or 336 days per year, thus creating a 13th artificial year where 12 solar years existed.
When the Synchronous Chronological Data provided in the Books of Kings and Chronicles for the Divided Kingdom Period are measured in years of 336 days, the synchronisms actually align. [Refer to Appendix 5. to see how it synchronises the Divided Kingdom Period]
About the KingsCalendar Publisher
R.P.BenDedek is the owner and Editor of KingsCalendar.com which was originally set up to publicize his research results into the Chronology of Ancient Israel. Those results were published under the title: 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran'.
Whilst there have been many attempts to solve the chronological riddle of the Bible's synchronisms of reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah and their synchronism with other Ancient Near Eastern Nations, no other research is based on a simple mathematical formula which could, if it is incorrect, be disproved easily. To date, no one has been able to dismiss the mathematical results of this research.
Free to air Academic articles set forth Apologetics for and results of his discovery of an "artificial chronological scheme" running through the Bible, Josephus, the Damascus Documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Seder Olam Rabbah.
During the current economic downturn, this book has been drastically reduced in price but will eventually rise as the economy improves.
Check the Chapter Precis Page to see details of each chapter and to gain access to the Four Free to Air Chapters
R.P. BenDedek writes social commentaries and photographic 'Stories from China' both at KingsCalendar, and as a contributing columnist at Magic City Morning Star News in Maine USA.
(He has been teaching Conversational English in China since 2003 and currently (2013) is teaching in Suzhou City Jiangsu Province.)
