May 29, 2007
One of the most famous city images in the world
Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: Manual
Focal Length: 50 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/350
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO: 100
Sydney is a fascinating experience. The city is beautiful, the sights amazing, but we keep looking around and saying “this could be Vancouver.”
The similarities are stunning, and there is so much we can learn. (more…)
May 29, 2007
Bondi beach
Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: Manual
Focal Length: 18 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/750
Aperture: F/5.6
ISO: 100
Today we saw part of the Australia you see in the tourist magazines, the surfing haven, Bondi — pronounced bond-eye — beach (the other part of Australia you see is, of course, the outback).
The day started off a bit rocky. We had breakfast, (more…)
May 29, 2007
The best looking tourists in Australia
Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: Manual
Focal Length: 18 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/250
Aperture: F/9.5
ISO: 400
The tour of the Blue Mountains was fascinating, and reinforced that when you go to a place like this, you have to buy at least one guided tour — to get a local feel that you just can’t from books. This was our first really “Australian” experience (more…)
May 29, 2007
The Three Sisters, in the Blue Mountains
Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: Manual
Focal Length: 18 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/750
Aperture: f/8.0
ISO: 400
Today we took a tour to the Blue Mountains, an area carved out by erosion, looking at 250 million year old rocks that Charles Darwin had stood on while surveying Australia.
This trip was completely overshadowed by our tour guide and driver, John, the quintessential Australian. (more…)
May 27, 2007
You know, they really taste too gamey
Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: Manual
Focal Length: 55 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/1000
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 400
We’ve now been 2 full days in Sydney, plus a 1/2 day when we arrived. We have spent somewhere around about 20 hours on our feet, which is a huge contrast to Fiji where we were on coach, taxi, or boat wherever we went. We are definitely getting tired. (more…)
May 27, 2007
Do we know if they are carnivorous?
Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: Manual
Focal Length: 25 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/125
Aperture: f/4.0
ISO: 400
On a trip like this, power is important. (more…)
May 27, 2007
Sydney Opera House
Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: Manual
Focal Length: 55 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/10 (handheld with VR)
Aperture: f/4.0
ISO: 800
Like Fiji, Sydney knows how to greet tourists. There were signs that led us through the airport, when we got out to a point where we had choice, there was a booth labelled “Information” go to. That’s all we would have asked out of LAX…
We got to the hotel and checked fairly easily. After the two bedroom condo in Fiji, the room seems a bit small! I don’t want to know what renting a 2 bedroom in downtown Sydney would cost though!
We were awake, and decided to go for a walk through the city. (more…)
May 25, 2007
Lifelong friends
Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: Manual
Focal Length: 52 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/60 (fill flash)
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO: 400
Xiaojun and Ling are obviously lifelong friends. The kind that you can fly half way around the world to see when you haven’t seen each other for 12 years. That was obvious within 5 minutes of getting off the coach — they didn’t miss a beat. Friends like this are a rarity — Mom and Carole come to mind, I cannot think of another. I have good friends, but don’t have any friends like this.
She and Ling spent their entire university living together in a dormitory with 6 other girls. (more…)
May 25, 2007
How long until Tim can support us
Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: Manual
Focal Length: 18 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/250
Aperture: f/3.5
ISO: 100
Well, that’s it, Fiji is done with. A lot of times when we leave a place on the route to the next one we feel ready for the next adventure. This time I have to admit we felt some regret — it was too quick, we wanted more time there.
Ling and Xiaojun were up until 2 AM on their last talk. (more…)
May 24, 2007
Lots of sun, and not many worries
Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 48 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/250
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO: 100
I keep talking about the Fijian people, but that’s because they really are amazing. We have never been to a place with such poverty, and yet such open-hearted genuine people.
Yesterday we went on a single-day cruise (more…)
