Archive for June 2010
‘TOUGH GUY’ HAS MILKSHAKE
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
I’ve attended a couple of demonstrations in Taipei as an observer. The bid for UN admission and this one in 2008 which was peaceful but not without some noise. The Taiwan Research people at Melbourne’s Monash University had a few minutes on Australia’s Radio National today reporting the signing of the “free trade agreement” by [...]
CENTRAL AND WESTERN AUSTRALIA
The beauty of Ayres Rock (Uluru) is the vast empty surroundings. Blue sky and red soil. The only thing missing is a regular supply of rain. The best time to visit ‘the rock’ is probably November. In summer it can be far too hot and climbing the monolith is stopped when temperature exceeds about 32 [...]
DANSHUI TREE
If this tree were in Australia, a council would declare it unsafe and it would be cut down. In Taipei it is appreciated for shade on any hot afternoon. A beautiful tree too. In Australia, Sydney’s city park called The Domain, some very old fig tree’s were cut down after a branch fell from one [...]
GREAT BARRIER REEF
TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA
Having a dive off Port Douglas on a shipwreck found by a prawn trawler when it’s net became snagged. The mysterious object was a very old steel ship sitting in 24 meters of water. Prawn nets had smashed the masts off. The wreck was not considered newsworthy From left, John Harding. Peter West, Dale Chapman [...]
THE RIGHT WHALE
A strange name? Hundreds of years ago there were right and wrong whales to hunt. The ‘right’ type of whale floated when killed. The Southern Right Whale was found south of the equator. There is a Northern Right Whale as well. Both species have are protected from hunting – although not many nations hunt [...]
EASTERN CAROLINE ISLANDS – SHARK PHOTO
Photographing sharks is now very popular with underwater photographers. A big change from the 1970′s when diving magazines were pressured not to run shark pictures by their advertisers. Schooling hammerhead sharks have been seen at Green Island. The potential for international divers to visit Taiwan is good. The east coast especially. Blue water is essential for good photography.
WHALE SHARK TOURISM Leave a comment
People pay NT$2500 or more for the boat ride, just to snorkel swim with these giants at Exmouth, on the North West coast of Western Australia. Touching the shark is forbidden. Small aircraft are used to spot the sharks which then guide the dive boats to where one is. Could the same technique be tried [...]
TAIWANESE IN AUSTRALIA Leave a comment
I took my Taiwanese friend on a three-day camping trip to Fraser Island, a few hours north from Brisbane. During the night a wild Australian dog called a dingo, came by the tent looking for food. Finding nothing it chewed our leather shoes to pieces. At Coffs Harbour on the mid north coast of [...]
