Have a wonderful Christmas!
Trevor’s Big Adventure
So 2nd of December marks the departure on my big trip. Made bigger by the fact that Steve couldn’t be with me. My very first solo trip….. Look Mum, I’m a big boy now.
The bags almost packed, vaccinations sorted (I hate needles!!!), diarrhea pills purchased. All set to go.
The trip to Nepal is going to take 24 hours of flights and waiting for connections. Depart Sydney to Bangkok, then from Bangkok to Delhi and finally from Delhi to Kathmandu.
Below is the outline of my itinerary for the hike over the next 3 weeks. Thankfully I will be having a porter carrying my bag over the trips. Friends have decided I will call him Raelene…. Don’t ask 
Itinerary
Days 1-2 Kathmandu
A hive of activity, Kathmandu is awash with colour and culture. Join pilgrims at Bodhnath Stupa, explore the ‘Monkey Temple’ of Swayambhunath and visit one of the holiest Hindu temples in the world at Pashupatinath.
Day 3 Bhaktapur
Walk down narrow streets from square to square or along cobblestone laneways to watch local traditions come alive and appreciate the peaceful simplicity of Bhaktapur.
Days 4-9 Langtang Trek
Enjoy a trek over rocky ridges and valleys, past rivers, over rickety bridges and through green pastures filled with shaggy yak. Stop in at small villages along the way and enjoy a taste of Nepalese hospitality.
Day 10 Nuwakot
Hike through dense woodland to the village of Brabal, then drive on to historic Nuwakot. Stay overnight on ‘The Famous Farm’ with its imposing manor house and two charming cottages. Set on a terraced hillside above a fertile valley, the farm is a delight of quiet corners and colourful, organic crops. Spend time exploring the area and include a visit to the former citadel of the Shah dynasty, built to serve as an important stop on the trans-Himalayan trade route.
Day 11 Bandipur
Tucked away high on a ridge, the ancient trading village of Bandipur is protected by the goddess Durga. Mingle with locals, dine on traditional Nepali food and enjoy awesome views of the Annapurna and Manaslu mountain ranges.
Days 12-13 Pokhara
The incredible scenery and chilled-out atmosphere of Pokhara is enchanting. There are a plethora of things to do in Pokhara, including rising early to see a spectacular sunrise over the snow-covered Annapurna range from the viewpoint at Sarangkot. Visit the thundering Devi Falls and shop for handicrafts at the Tibetan open-air market.
Days 14-15 Seti River
Raft through the jungle on a journey down the mighty Seti, camping overnight on white, sandy beaches
Days 16-18 Chitwan National Park
Paddle a canoe, ride an elephant, trek through the jungle and seek out rhinos, deer and monkeys on a guided safari through Chitwan, the first official national park of Nepal.
Days 19-20 Kathmandu
Take a final stroll through the busy streets and bazaars of this much-loved city of Kathmandu.
St George Lighthouse Jervis Bay
Picture of ill-fated light house at Point Perpendicular, Jervis Bay, NSW. We visited this ruin a few years ago.
Lasting less than 40 years, badly designed and located in the wrong position, it was used for target practise in the 1920′s by the Australian Navy and destroyed
read more here
Categories: Travel
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Helicopter Crash Auckland Viaduct
Yes, you have seen it before, but it’s pretty incredible no one was killed.
Categories: Random
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Time lapse view of Earth from space
This NASA time lapse video of our planet from outer space has to be seen to be believed.
This time lapse sequence of photographs was taken by the crew of expeditions 28 and 29 onboard the International Space Station from August to October. The images were reportedly taken at an altitude of around 350 km. Watch and be amazed.
In order of appearance, the shooting locations were:
1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night
2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night
3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia
4. Aurora Australis south of Australia
5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America at Night
6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean
7. Halfway around the World
8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East
9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East
10. Pass over Canada and Central United States at Night
11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay
12. Islands in the Philippine Sea at Night
13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam
14. Views of the Mideast at Night
15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea
16. Aurora Borealis and the United States at Night
17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean
18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia at Night
Categories: Space
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Nasa tracks asteroid’s Earth Flyby today
This radar image of asteroid 2005 YU55 was obtained on Nov. 7, 2011, at 11:45 a.m. PST (2:45 p.m. EST/1945 UTC), when the space rock was at 3.6 lunar distances, which is about 860,000 miles, or 1.38 million kilometers, from Earth.
Images of an aircraft-carrier-size asteroid hurtling past Earth Tuesday are being captured by a massive radio antenna deep in the Mojave Desert.
The antenna, part of NASA’s Deep Space Network facility at Goldstone, Calif., bounced signals off the asteroid to obtain an image when it was about 860,000 miles from Earth shortly before noon Monday.
This radar image of asteroid 2005 YU55 was obtained on Nov. 7, 2011, at 11:45 a.m. PST (2:45 p.m. EST/1945 UTC), when the space rock was at 3.6 lunar distances, which is about 860,000 miles, or 1.38 million kilometers, from Earth.
The asteroid, called 2005 YU55, will make its closest approach to Earth at 3:28 p.m. Tuesday, when it will be 201,700 miles from the planet — within the orbit of the moon.
“This is the closest approach of something this big that we’ve ever known about in advance,” Lance Benner, a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory , told reporters at the antenna site Monday.
The object was round, quite dark – “as reflective as a lump of charcoal,” he said – and appears to have small craters and “linear features that may be ridges.”
Clearer, brighter images were expected Tuesday.
Scientists also were able to refine their understanding of the asteroid’s orbit. Benner said it should make another, perhaps closer, pass by Earth in 2075, though it still will not hit the planet.
The last asteroid of comparable size to make such a close pass was in 1976, although astronomers did not know it at the time.
The next one is expected in 2028.
Categories: Space
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Passed our Advanced Open Water Diver Course this weekend
We had a very busy, yet rewarding weekend diving at Bare Island in Sydney’s Botany Bay. The island is quite amazing.
The water was pretty cold and visibility wasn’t that great. We covered off Drift Diving, Buoyancy and naturalist on Saturday, with Deep Diving and Underwater navigation on the Sunday.
Good fun and very rewarding
Check out their website for more details
Transit of Venus Next Year
Twice in a lifetimehttp://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/twice-in-a-lifetime-20111028-1mnz9.htmlIn a changing world, the cosmos provides some certainty. And at precisely 8.16am on June 6 next year, the planet Venus will begin to pass in front of the sun, looking from Earth…
This will be an event not to be missed
Categories: Space
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Sunny day in Sydney
It looks like it’s going to be a nice sunny day in Sydney today. Why am I stuck at work?
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