SOLAR ECLIPSE, NORTH QUEENSLAND - 2012: One Man’s View.

A guest post by F. John Alcock - My Dad

As you might imagine almost everyone was thrilled with the anticipation of an eclipse, although one young lad was quoted in the local paper as saying that he wouldn’t be getting out of bed for it.

Oh well, the last one here was in 710 AD, and there’s another in 2237 so, you know, they happen a lot in North Queensland, don’t they.

There was a sense of calm excitement along our beach, a friendly crowd of a few thousand waiting at dawn for something good to happen, and not a prince in sight.  It was a slow start, cloudy on the horizon. Nothing to see. An old bloke wandered by with a black cockatoo on his shoulder, a huge bird as long as a man’s arm and able to crack macadamias with its prodigious beak. They were as much photographed as was a very ordinary looking dog with an air of importance about him wearing sun glasses several sizes too big, out with his humans.

And then the sun broke through the clouds.

VIETNAM: 15 PHOTOS AND A RADIO SHOW

Everyone I know who has been to Vietnam has loved it.

I mean really, really loved it.

I had spent a heap of time in Asia without ever having set foot in Vietnam until recently. And within moments of stepping out into the technicolour mayhem of a Ho Chi Minh City evening, all I could think was "What's taken me so long?"

A few hours earlier an unforgettable aircraft approach swept around sparkling city towers before falling gently towards canyons of neon whose currents of jiggling scooter headlights flowed determinedly up and down stream.

LONESOME GEORGE - The End of his Line

A couple of weeks ago now the world lost Lonesome George, the last remaining Pinta Island tortoise - a sub-species of giant tortoise endemic to that particular island in the Galápagos.

Image: George on 12th August, 1997 - Darwin Station, Galápagos Islands 

Until a scientist stumbled across George on Pinta in 1972 it was believed that his particular line was extinct. So, on his discovery he was moved to Darwin Station (where I had the great pleasure of meeting him) in Puerto Ayora in the Galápagos Islands to see out his days under science's watchful eye.

Unfortunately attempts to have him mate with a pair of Espanola tortoises (his nearest genetic match) failed and so the end of the line for George was the end of his line.

DISARM DOORS ON THE RADIO: Talking About Vanuatu

Disarm Doors has had the great fortune to be picked (dobbed in, really...thanks, Kim Wildman) up by ABC North Coast NSW (Australia) as a regular contributor to its weekly "Planes, Passports & Postcards" radio segment with Jo Shoebridge.

I'm really enjoying the audio journeys we're going on. They've brought back a mountain of memories recent and ancient that we scale in bite-sized ascents.

In this episode we take off for Vanuatu, a place I visited a couple of times as a child and had the great pleasure of exploring again recently. If you've got 10 minutes spare, take a listen to the audio HERE, or if you're more of a visual person, just enjoy the pics below.

CRUISING THE CONVENIENCE AISLES

There's something about produce markets in foreign places that I find totally irresistible. The smells, colours, the sounds of lively commerce and the insights into what's being pulled out of the local ground and waters are a heady combination and rich story-teller.

I suspect I haven't spotted a market and ignored its wonders in, well, I don't know how long. And if you've tip-toed through a wet market in China, lucked upon a gorgeous weekend growers market in some lovely Italian hamlet, or even just found yourself on a jetty when the local fishing fleet returns from sea, you'll understand the attraction.

Foreign supermarkets also intrigue me. Where I come from supermarkets are for the most part pretty drab. Their products are run-of-the-mill, perfectly nice, all the staples we need and the occasional burst of something colourful. And yet some places...

NAKED LUXURY IN BYRON BAY

 I defy anyone to not be blown away by the view of Byron Bay framed as it is by the Lighthouse atop the Cape headland, and the dramatic peak of Mount Warning far away to the North.

Even more so when you're drinking it in from the balcony of Byron's Beach Suites, a glass of bubbly in hand (drinking that in, too), watching whales frolic close to shore. Excuse me while I pinch myself.

The Beach Suites offers one of Byron's most inconspicuously luxe holiday experiences, effortlessly oozing style (Noguchi tables, anyone?), space and privacy a stone's throw from the sands of Byron's Main Beach.

NO DEAL IN MELBOURNE

I must be Australia's least successful game show contestant. Four shows and nothing to show for it.

It's hurting my fingers to type this but, as a Sydneysider and someone who has travelled a lot, it pains me to confess that I harbour a secret love for Melbourne - one of the most happening cities in the world.

Melbourne gets better every time I visit. Formerly derelict city laneways are revived; another huge, sparkling sporting venue opens; new bars and major public artworks pop up in the most unlikely places; and some wunderkind chef has (again) reinvented Australian cuisine.

I don't pretend it's perfect. I'm sure it has a heap of issues. It's just that, as a visitor, it seems so...self-assured. You can tell the locals are quietly proud of their city. They all seem to be out exploring it in detail, enjoying it almost as tourists do.

I never need much of an excuse to visit Melbourne. So when a mate called up and said, "Buddy, I need you to pop down and go on Deal or No Deal with me", I was there in a flash, equally excited about revisiting the southern city, and the prospect of winning oodles of cash on a game show that rates through the roof.

HONG KONG - TREASURE ISLAND

This is my latest guest-post on the Flight Centre (Australia) Blog.

So many things come together on this dramatic, rocky outcrop in the South China Sea, where a totally 21st-century city erupts from every bit of available space.

There’s a hand-hauled cart loaded impossibly high with goods going to market for every millionaire’s Ferrari. And there’s a knock-off Burberry bag for every real one under lights in the gleaming retail beacons that draw many visitors to this place.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Hong Kong more times than I can count on my fingers and toes. It’s a place that gets under your skin. It’s equal parts pulsating megalopolis and peaceful sanctuary. It’s go-go-go. Neon lit. Noisy. And always completely now.

Hong Kong is the kind of place that almost every visitor experiences differently. So, rather than get too prescriptive about what I think you should see and do, here are a couple of general tips to help you connect with this place, and make your visit to Asia’s Big Apple pretty special....Read More.

A TASTE OF NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FEST 2011

An unorthodox look at the 2011 New Orleans Jazz Fest.

My best mate, Scotty, lives in New York.

I've known him since we were kids, we were flatmates for a while, and we took the best part of a round-the-world trip together way back when. He is many things. Clever, amusing, successful MBA grad, senior executive, husband, dad and all-round positive spirit.

And when it comes to food, he has an adventurous streak.

I've seen him select some dreadful things from perfectly good menus all over the world. A bowl of raw, unfamiliar shellfish over grilled salmon in Southern Chile. A selection of offal over a mixed grill of the finest cuts in Argentina. Oyster patties in New Orleans (keep reading). Even The Spotted Pig's Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort Cheese, over, well, just about everything else on the menu there.

THINKING ABOUT ABBOTTABAD

Like most people, I watched the story of the final moments of Osama bin Laden unfold with total fascination. For days, I couldn’t take my eyes and ears from the information, descriptions and conspiracy theories streaming endlessly from mainstream and new media. It was, and will be for some time yet, a big story.

Even before the dust had settled, all I could think about was getting myself to Abbottabad. I justified this travel urge to myself by praising the city’s quirky British heritage, fine, temperate climate and stunning views from the surrounding Sarban Hills. But the reality is, I’d just love to take a look around the bin Laden digs and smell this dramatic, violent moment in history.

And if reports are correct, it appears that local hoteliers have every expectation that the end of bin Laden will be the start of something big for Abbottabad.

All of this has got me wondering…