ETC!

We first met Carlos and Vera when we lived in Evansville, IN – Tim and Carlos both worked for Mead Johnson Nutrition.  We then moved to Mexico City; a couple of years later, Carlos was reassigned to Mexico and they lived a couple blocks away from us in one of the largest cities in the world.  From Mexico City, we went to Singapore.  Two years later, guess who moved to Singapore?!?!  When MJN was acquired by another company, Tim left and we returned to the U.S.   Carlos and Vera stayed in Singapore until their son, Alberto, graduated from high school.  Then Carlos retired and they returned to Evansville.  We’ve kept in touch all these years – they’ve been to CA a couple of times and we met in Georgia when Paul was in seminary and Alberto was attending Georgia Tech. 

Vera called me in the spring of 2025 and said, “We’re going to a yoga retreat in Scotland next June; do you guys want to go with us?  There will be lots of hiking and mountain biking available for Tim and Carlos”.  She sent information and photos of the retreat location – it was pretty enticing.  So, we signed up for the retreat and then started planning to spend the week before the trip seeing more of Scotland together.  As we started looking at places to go we realized that there were a number of places of interest for people who are fans of Harry Potter and/or Outlander.  Some of us are fans of both, so anything related to Harry Potter will be in orange and anything related to Outlander will be in purple.

We eventually decided to meet Vera and Carlos in Glasgow on June 7 to begin our adventure.  Without realizing it, we booked the same connecting flight from Heathrow Airport to Glasgow, so we actually met in Heathrow.  We landed in Glasgow, proceeded to pick up a rental car and then found our way to the apartment we had rented for the first 3 nights.  We settled in and then walked to a nearby Greek restaurant for our first dinner in Scotland.

Monday morning, my cousin, Karen, who has lived in Scotland for 21 years and who I haven’t seen in more years than that, arrived at our apartment door to be our Glasgow tour guide.  After hugs and introductions all around, we set out for our first destination, the Glasgow cathedral. 

This cathedral was one of only 2 cathedrals, and the only one on the Scottish mainland, that survived the reformation virtually intact.  Founded in the 1200s, it was originally a Catholic place of worship.  Following the Protestant Reformation of 1560 it became a Protestant Kirk, which it remains today as part of the Church of Scotland.

St. Mungo was a missionary and may have built a church on this site in the 6th century.  The cathedral was built over a period of several centuries and dedicated in his honor.  Mungo is still the patron saint of Glasgow.  Many pilgrims come here to visit his tomb and shrine.

I took this photo of this tapestry in the cathedral just because I thought it was a beautiful piece of artwork.  In looking at the photo later after learning more about St. Mungo and the Glasgow city Coat of Arms, I realized that this tapestry was related to St. Mungo.   We did not learn the details, but saw references to stories and legends associated with St. Mungo:   “The bird that never flew;  The tree that never grew; The fish that never swam;  The bell that never rang.”

A more recent claim to fame for Glasgow Cathedral is that it doubled as the Hospital des Anges in season 2 of Outlander.

When we left the cathedral we walked up the hill behind it to the “necropolis”, AKA cemetery.  In 1833 the Merchants House of Glasgow built “The Adjoining Bridge to afford a proper entrance to their new cemetery combining convenient access to the grounds with suitable decoration to the venerable cathedral and surrounding scenery . . . “

As we were leaving the necropolis and starting to walk toward the west end, a sign in an entryway caught our attention. 

So we went inside to check out Glasgow’s oldest house which was built in 1471 for the Bishop of Glasgow.  In 1906 The Provand’s Lordship Society was formed to help protect the house’s future, and showcase Glasgow’s history and heritage.  In 1927 a wealthy merchant donated money to buy furniture, stained glass and art appropriate to the building, and over the next 5 years the Society built an important collection of furniture dating from the 1600s.

One thing that always intrigues me when I’m in these really old buildings is how the stone steps are worn down from so many people using them over hundreds of years.

As we walked through Glasgow, we enjoyed seeing a number of murals on walls.

The one on the right was one of my favorites – called “Mungo”, I assume it’s a modernization of St. Mungo because of the birds.

We walked through town and along the Clyde River.  We saw some interesting architecture, including the "Armadillo" (a concert and conference venue) and the "OVO Hydro" (an indoor arena).

We had booked a boat ride on the river and arrived at the dock about 30 minutes early.  We popped inside the transportation museum next door to use the bathroom and ended up staying as long as we could.  There were a lot of interesting displays of all different types of transportation including this van decorated by Glasgow art students in Karachi-style for an Islamic art and culture festival in 1997, and 2 bikes riding by Graeme Obree (AKA the Flying Scotsman) who broke the World Hour record for cycling in 1993 and again in 1994.

When it was time for our tour we walked to the dock outside, were given life vests and boarded for our speedy tour.  We went down the river a little ways where we got a different perspective on the city we had been walking through; then we doubled back and went up the river to see a more industrial area.  When we returned to the dock we enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate or tea and “biscuits” (British for cookies).

We walked about 20 minutes from the dock to the Kelingrove Museum.  The people of Glasgow own the Kelingrove Art Gallery and Museum which opened in October 1902.  The building’s front was inspired by Spanish church towers.

 The inside is like an Italian palace and was built so that music echoes through the arches and corridors.   The Kelingrove Organ is one of the most famous in the world.  Built in 1901 it has 2889 pipes.  They hold concerts somedays, but we arrived too late for the concert.

There were displays of various Scottish painters, as well as glass work.  One room featured Charles Rennie Mackintosh an architect and designer, who designed not only buildings, but their interiors as well – including furniture, lighting and sometimes even dishes and cutlery. 

Salvadore Dali’s “Christ of St. John of the Cross” was also on display.

I tend to gravitate to exhibits that recognize and honor differences in people who might not be considered classical artists.  There were 2 displays that caught my attention.  The first was called “In Cahoots”, which is a Glasgow based community arts charity offering inclusive creative opportunities for marginalized communities.  There was a video playing with scenes from theatre presentations and a display case with a variety of pieces of art in various mediums. Nearby there was an exhibit celebrating the importance of expression and art in mental health care.  These works of art were created by materials which were on hand in the Recreational Therapy Unit of a local hospital.

I also really enjoyed and learned a fair amount about tartans in the Cultural Connections section.   Tartan is part of traditional Highland dress and historically a powerful symbol of Scottish identity.  Souvenirs, past and present, are marketed using popular tartans and have become a huge tourist success story.   But contemporary designers are creating new tartans to reflect the country’s increasing cultural diversity.  Some of the new and unique tartans on display included “Ukraine Forever”, Scottish Deaf History” and Scottish Islamic”. 

Finally , there was an exhibit acknowledging that the British Empire and the education system often promoted white racial supremacy, which continues to impact lives today.  There were quotes, poetry, and headlines about violence towards minority ethnic group.  The display description stated “Reflecting on these incidents can be uncomfortable, but it is important when exploring Scotland’s past and present to continue to shine a light on them.”  Nelson Mandela visited Glasgow in 1993 to collect an award he was given 9 years before he was freed.  He signed this poster saying  “…Compliments to the city whose residents regard the entire world as a battleground for the maintenance of human rights.”

There was so much to see in this museum, and we all have different interests so we set a meeting time and place and each went our own way.  We occasionally ran into or caught sight of each other -- Tim took the photo below on the left with the display of hanging heads (which was kind of weird) -- I'm in the top right corner walking to another gallery. I took the photo on the right -- Tim was looking up at the Spitfire airplane and had just turned and is walking by the elephant!

When we finished at the museum we walked back across town to our car and took about a 40 minute drive to Kilmacolm, the village where Karen lives.  She owns the upper floor of this house built in the 1840s.  She has a great view and her home is very comfortable.  We enjoyed a lovely dinner she had prepared and it was wonderful to just sit and visit.  It was a great reunion!

Tuesday morning we were up early and headed to Edinburgh for the day.  Fortunately, Karen had suggested we park our rental car at a park and ride outside of the city and take the tram into town to avoid the hassle and expense of driving and parking in the city – GREAT advice!!

Carlos and Vera have a friend, Rachel, from Singapore, who just happened to be in Edinburgh visiting her daughter who is studying there.  So, when we got off the tram we walked to the Scott Monument, which was our meeting place.  This Victorian Gothic monument dedicated to the Scottish historian, poet and playwright Sir Walter Scott is 197 feet tall, was built 1840-1846 and is the largest monument to a writer in the world.

From the monument we wandered through the Princes Street Gardens, with beautiful flowers, a number of monuments and views of Edinburgh Castle. 

While we were walking a bird landed on Tim's shoulder.

We were wondering about what looked like the construction of a stadium near the castle and I commented to Tim that it looked like the quidditch stadium in the Harry Potter movies.  A minute later we were passing a group tour and I stopped to eavesdrop as their guide explained that the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival is held each August in a temporary stadium that is constructed in front of the castle each year.  Work starts in May to have the structure ready in time for the festival.   We later learned that this temporary stadium was indeed used as the quidditch stadium in the Harry Potter movies!!

From the park we walked up a hill behind the castle and climbed stairs to the entryway.  We had decided not to tour this castle, as there would be multiple castle opportunities and this one is particularly crowded.  But we did go to the front gate to start our self-guided audio tour of Harry Potter’s Edinburgh.

In addition to highlighting places in Edinburgh related to the Harry Potter books, we learned a little bit about the history and culture of Edinburgh as we strolled through the city.  From the front of the castle we walked back down the hill and learned that the gardens where we had just walked had at one time been a lake and that 4000 women accused of being witches were either drowned in the lake or burned on a stake.

The entrance to the University of Edinburgh School of Divinity resembles the entrance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  And just to the right of the entrance is this statue of John Knox, who bears a resemblance to Professor Dumbledore.

Around the corner we started up some stairs we were in a small courtyard outside the Writer’s Museum.  We didn’t go in the museum, but spent a few minutes looking at the stairs and courtyard where quotes from various authors are carved in the cement.

Our next destination was Victoria Street.  Built between 1829 and 1834, this is Scotland’s most photographed street and is believed to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley.

A bookshop has occupied this site for over 4 decades – the original Flourish & Botts?

Across the street was Knoops – not related to Harry Potter, but an interesting concept – all they serve is chocolate drinks!

Further down the street we saw a magical café with butter beer and a Harry Potter museum.   Previously, No. 40 was occupied by Robert Cresser’s Brush Shop for 131 years.  At the bottom of the street is this shop with a large nose and glasses over the doorway.  Although the shop now sells tweed and cashmere clothing, up until a couple of years ago it was a joke shop – possibly the inspiration for Fred and George Weasley’s Joke Shop.  

Around the corner from “Diagon Alley” we sat near this cross which marks the spot where there was once a gallows and we heard the story of Maggie Dickson (a café named for her is in the background, just to the right of the red awnings).   

To make a long story short:  Maggie had a child born prematurely out of wedlock; the child died and she was caught while trying to dispose of the body.  She was “tried” and sentenced to death.  She was hung at the gallows on this site, declared dead and placed in a coffin.  En route to the graveyard she regained consciousness.  The driver returned her to the hangman, but he declared he could not hang her again as it was illegal for her to be tried twice for the same crime.  So, Maggie lived on and became a local legend as “Half-Hangit Maggie” – sounds kind of like “Nearly Headless Nick.”

Our tour continued at GreyFriar’s Kirkyard – a cemetery very close to The Elephant House Café where JK Rowling wrote most of the first 3 Harry Potter books. 

Inside the cemetery we visited several tombstones with names found in the Harry Potter books . . .

The grave marker for William McGonagall also has a photo which bears some resemblance to Professor Snape.

Looking through a gate at the back of the cemetery we see a private school (which JK Rowling’s kids attended).  The spires are said to have inspired the Hogwarts castle.

Our HP tour ended in front of The Elephant House – considered the birthplace of Harry Potter.

We were ready for lunch and noticed Nando’s across the street – a UK chain we were all familiar with from our Singapore days that has delicious chicken.  None of us had eaten Nando’s in years, so it was an unexpected addition to a great day.

We were right next to The National Museum of Scotland, which we hadn’t planned to go to, but Rachel knew of 2 highlights she thought we should check out.  So we went in and saw Dolly and the chess set that was the model for the chess set in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Our next stop was St. Giles’ cathedral.  At the entrance there was a sign that read  “While exploring St. Giles’, you will encounter many memorials.  Some of these reflect a perspective rooted in Britain’s imperial past, in which Scotland played an important role, often overlooking the experiences of those who suffered as a result of empire.  We acknowledge that many indigenous peoples and colonized communities endured profound harm during the events these memorials commemorate.  We are committed to reinterpreting these histories with honesty, inclusivity, and respect.”

I found this cathedral to be unique in that in addition to the usual recognition of some saints, as seen in this stained glass window,

there were a lot of memorials to various military groups.  This one lists clergy from both the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland who served in His Majesty’s Forces.

These colorful banners on one side of the cathedral represent the 16 Knights of the Thistle, an order of chivalry exclusive to Scotland which was founded in 1687 and remains active.

In 1637, King Charles I attempted to introduce a new prayer book in Scotland, which was widely opposed.  The Scottish Church was Presbyterian, rather than Anglican, and many believed this would threaten their independence.  During a service, a local woman named Jenny Geddes protested by throwing a stool at the preacher.  This started a riot in the church and opposition to the King’s reforms spread.  The following year a National Covenant was signed asserting the independence of the Scottish church.  The story of Jenny Geddes endures as a symbol of resistance and in 1992 a bronze stool was presented to St. Giles’ in her memory.

John Knox was a central figure in the Scottish Reformation and played a key role in establishing  Presbyterian church governance in Scotland.  He was originally trained as a Catholic priest, but later joined the protestant movement.  He was a minister at St. Giles when Scotland rejected papal authority and embraced Protestant reform.  Upon his death in 1572 he was buried outside the cathedral.  His burial site has since become part of a parking lot, but there is a marker by parking spot 23 noting that this was his place of burial.

When we left the cathedral our walk around Edinburgh wandered a bit off the main tourist area a few blocks in search of a small street called Bakehouse Close.  This was the scene of Jamie’s printing shop in Outlander.

Our final destination of the day was Calton Hill.  It is one of Britain’s first public parks (established 1724) and now part of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site.  It is the perfect place to view the city, both old and new.

As we walked back toward the tram stop for our return trip to Glasgow we walked past the Balmoral Hotel.   The top floor is now known as the JK Rowling Suite – that is where she wrote the last Harry Potter book.   Also, it is reported that the clock on the hotel is always 3 minutes fast.  It is very near the main train station and they feel it helps people get to their trains on time!

Wednesday morning we checked out of our apartment in Glasgow and headed to Fort William, with a couple of planned stops along the way.  Our first stop was Stirling Castle.  The shuttle from the parking lot dropped us off by The Church of the Holy Rude, which was begun in the early 15th century and still has it's original oak roof beams. In 1567 the infant King James VI was crowned here.

We wandered through the old kirkyard on our way to the castle.  The earliest date in this cemetery is 1579.   Many of the tombstones are no longer legible; some have been refurbished and have a note that indicates the date of restoration.  We also found it interesting that many of the stones had multiple people listed – sometimes familial relations were noted, but not always.

Upon entering the castle, we first went to the garden area.   The Queen Anne Garden was established in the 1400s so the royal family could enjoy formal gardens close to their chambers.  By the 1600s it was known as the Bowling Green, indicating it was likely used for playing games.  The world’s oldest football, made of leather and an inflated pig’s bladder, was discovered in the palace behind wood paneling dating to the 1500s.

From the wall of the Queen Anne Garden you can look down and see The King’s Knot, with an 8-sided mound at its heart, and the Queen’s Knot, to it’s right.  Both of these gardens  were made for the coronation of Charles I in 1633, but abandoned soon after.

This view also gives an idea of how high up the castle was – always a good position for viewing the surroundings and defending the castle.

We went on a 1-hour tour to get an overview of the castle and then spent some more time wandering around and taking more time at the areas that interested us.  Our tour guide seemed to have been born for his job – he was very knowledgeable and very Scottish, at times a bit difficult to understand with his accent, but we very much enjoyed the tour.

This dining room is considered to be the largest and finest medieval hall in Scotland.  Up to 500 people could meet here for state banquets and occasional sessions of parliament.  It was built in 1503.  The roof is a modern reconstruction based on drawings from the 1700s.  On the right side you can see the trumpeters’ alcove.

There were underground tunnels from the kitchens to the hall so that the food did not have to be carried outside in inclement weather.

The king and queen each had an outer hall – a waiting room for people hoping for an audience with either of them, an inner hall – where honored guests would have an opportunity to meet the queen or king, and a bedchamber – reserved for the queen or king and their most important visitors.

The great state beds were actually symbolic.  The king and queen slept in small rooms nearby.

We walked on the outer wall of the castle and enjoyed the views.

In a small building at the end of the castle yard there was a very interesting display about The Stirling Castle Tapestry Project.  When James V built the palace during the 1530s and 1540s he owned over 100 tapestries.  None of them exist today, but there are inventories with descriptions, including a set depicting “the history of the unicorn”.   A set of seven 15th century Flemish tapestries called The Hunt of the Unicorn hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.  In 2001, Historic Scotland commissioned the creation of a new set of tapestries based on the Flemish set.   This display described the process of recreating the tapestries.  The project was finished in December 2014 and the tapestries now hang in the Queen’s apartment in the palace.

We took a slight detour when we left Stirling to drive by Doune Castle.  We weren’t planning to do a tour, but wanted to see the outside, which was used as Castle Leoch in Outlander, and was also used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  The parking attendants wouldn’t let us park since we didn’t have tickets for a tour, so we took a quick photo from the car.

The drive from Stirling to Glencoe was beautiful – lush green hills, a meandering river, the sun breaking through the clouds intermittently.

As we neared Glencoe I saw a sign for Clachaig Inn, and asked Tim to turn up the single track road to the Inn.  I had read about this place when I was planning the trip and recognized the name as the setting of Hagrid’s hut in the HP movies.  Interestingly, they’ve completed removed all vestiges of the movie set and don’t have a sign or anything to mark it, so we don’t know precisely where it was.  (Most places have tried to capitalize on their Harry Potter or Outlander connections.)

We stopped at the visitor center in Glencoe to get more information about the area to try to plan some hiking for the next day. 

I had a difficult time talking to the gal at the desk because she had to keep leaving her station to run and block the door to the café.  There were too many people in the café so they just closed it.  There were a significant number of frustrated customers who wanted a drink or bite to eat.   We thought it was odd that they didn’t just ask people to wait or form a line, but they weren’t sure if they would reopen or not, even as people left the café.

We checked into our apartment in Fort William and were again very pleased with the accommodations.  We decided it would be nice to eat in but were all getting hungry so we found a restaurant on-line and made menu selections.  Tim, Carlos and Vera dropped me in town at the restaurant to get our take-out dinner while they ran to a grocery store to get beverages and breakfast and lunch supplies for the next day.   When I walked into the restaurant there was a big sign saying they were not taking any more customers today. This was around 6:00 p.m.  I waited for a waiter to pass and asked him if I could order take-out.  The answer was no – they could not accommodate any more diners this evening.  Apparently that’s how it works in Scotland – when the restaurant is full, they close for the night; they don’t have a waiting area or try to fill the tables more than once!  So, I walked down the street, found a place that just did take-out, sent pictures of the menu to the others and we had fish and chips for dinner!

When they picked me up in town, Tim, Carlos and Vera were very excited to tell me that they got a close-up view of the Hogwarts Express on their way to the store!

On Thursday, our first objective was to see the Glenfinnan Viaduct – an iconic setting for the Hogwarts Express as it makes it’s way to Hogwarts.  When we arrived at the parking lot it was full, as was the overflow parking area.  But we could see people walking down the road so we figured there must be somewhere to park up ahead.  We did come upon a turn off with a small parking lot and street leading to a railroad museum.  A woman was directing street parking and for 5$ we got entrance to the museum in addition to parking.  She advised us that instead of walking down the road we could walk up the hill to the museum and then follow the trail to a viewpoint where we could see the viaduct, where the train would be crossing in about 20 minutes.  It was about 2 kms on the trail with beautiful views.   As we hiked we were overlooking Loch Shiel which was the main loch used for scenes at the Great Lake in Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire.

We were finally putting all our rain jackets to good use!  I took this photo once we reached a viewpoint while we were waiting for the Hogwart's Express. Notice the guy with 2 dogs!

We didn't have to wait too long before the train came!

After watching the train we headed back on the trail to the museum.  We decided to stop in the café car and have a cup of tea and cake before we visited the museum. 

There was a small bathroom in the end of the café car and hooks where they asked us to hang our wet jackets.  When we opened the door to that area we were greeted by an almost life-size cut out of Jamie Frazier!

After our snack we went to the museum, which is housed in the Glenfinnan Train station, although it’s not clear if any trains currently stop there.   In the entry was another nod to Harry Potter – a broomstick and hat next to a plaque recognizing their Gold Tidy Station Standard by Keep Scotland Beautiful. 

The museum was small, but had a lot of information and some interesting displays about the history of the railroad and the construction of the viaduct.

After our railroad adventure we headed to the trailhead to hike to Steall Fall.  We had a quick picnic lunch in the parking lot before we headed out on the hike.  The hike started on a road, but eventually we were on a hillside trail that was in some places steep and rocky.  A couple of times we had to cross small streams. 

Eventually the trees opened up into a meadow and we could see the falls.  Although you can continue the hike through the meadow and get closer to the falls, we turned back because as soon as we got into the meadow we were attacked by midges (tiny insects that like to bite me).

The rain had stopped for our hike to the falls, but just as got back to the parking lot, it came down again.  We all agreed that soup would be the ideal dinner after our rainy day!

Friday morning we took our time getting ready and checked out of our apartment around 10:00 a.m., headed to Inverness.  The only planned stop was in Ft. Augustus, which is at the south end of Loch Ness.  There we stopped to see the locks and learn about the Caledonia Canal.   The Great Glen divides the Highlands of Scotlands with a series of lochs; the Caledonia Canal was constructed between 1803 and 1822 to connect those lochs and provide a safe transport route.  It served a military function during WWI and has had a significant role in the economy, fostering trade between east and west, as well as with Germany, Holland and Scandanavian countries.   When it opened, it reduced the dangerous sea trip around the top of Scotland by 300 miles, and during winter storms, could takes months off the sailing time.  The canal is approximately 60 miles long – 22 miles are manmade; the rest are formed by 4 natural fresh water lochs.   There are 29 locks and 10 swinging bridges along the waterway.   More than half the locks are grouped into ‘staircases’.  We arrived in Ft. Augustus just as a couple of boats were making their way through the last stair and past the swinging bridge.

We walked to the top of the locks where we were looking at the Caledonian Canal coming from Loch Oich.

Looking back down the locks we could see Loch Ness in the distance.

We spent a bit of time in the visitor’s center learning more about the construction of the canal and the locks:  900 Highlanders supplied their own picks and shovels and moved dirt in wooden wheelbarrows for 4 years to build the locks.  Before hydraulics were fitted in the 1960s, every lock gate was opened and closed by hand – 2 or more men used long oars to push a capstan round.  It took 7 rounds to open the gate and 7 rounds to close the gate – it was hard work!  The opening of the locks moved the economy of the Highlands from subsistence farming and fishing to trade and commerce.

We then walked down to the banks of Loch Ness.

We continued our drive north along the western shore of Loch Ness.  We had considered stopping at Uruquhart Castle because it is known as the best place for looking for the Loch Ness monster, Nessie. But we once again encountered parking attendants who would not let us park if we hadn’t pre-purchased tickets to tour the castle.  So we just stopped a little bit further down the road to enjoy the views.  We did not see Nessie!  A sign in the Ft. Augustus visitors center had informed us that the ideal time for Nessie spotting was “when nobody else is looking and you haven’t got a camera!”

We continued our drive along the shore of Loch Ness to Inverness.

We arrived in Inverness and checked into our hotel, which was on the outskirts of town.  We drove into the city to take a look around and plan for the next couple of days.   Our first stop was Leakey’s Bookshop – the second largest secondhand bookstore in Scotland which is housed in an old church. 

We wandered through town and eventually ended up outside the Inverness Castle which looks much more modern than all the other castles we had seen.  

The original castle on this site, built in the 12th century was destroyed by the Jacobite army in 1746.  The deep well and parts of the bastion wall are all that remain.  It was rebuilt as a courthouse and county hall in 1834.  The stonework was restored in 1986. 

Outside the castle is a monument honoring Flora MacDonald, who was renowned for aiding Bonnie Prince Charlie’s escape after the Battle of Culloden.  In Outlander, as in real life, Flora rowed Prince Charles to the Isle of Skye while he was disguised as a woman. In the background you can see the more modern stonework of the castle.

From the castle we had a view of the cathedral on the other side of the river.

We had a nice dinner next door to our hotel – what seemed to us to be classic Scottish fare.  I had chicken and leek pie, Tim had lentil pie – both were very good.

After dinner we watched a world cup game in the hotel bar area (Canada vs. Bosnia Herzogovina).  I’m pretty sure everyone in the bar thought we were all Canadian!

Saturday we started our day at Culloden Field -- anyone that’s read or watched Outlander or heard/read anything about Scottish history will recognize the name.   On April 16, 1746 the course of history was changed as the Jacobite army battled the British army here, dividing families and setting clan against clan.   Civil War had threatened since the 1630s due to political and religious divisions.  The Catholic King, James Stewart had fled to France.   His son, Charles Stewart returned to Scotland in 1745 seeking to restore his father to the British thorn.   He gathered troops, known as the Jacobites around the country and they gained control of parts of Scotland.  But the Jacobite rising ended with a swift and bloody battle at Culloden in which at least 1500 Jacobites were killed and 50 British soldiers in less than an hour.  We went on a guided tour of the battlefield; our guide pointed out where the lines of soldiers from both sides were and gave us a great view of the history leading up to the battle, as well as the battle itself.

Leanach Cottage stands now where maps show there was a farm building at the time of the battle which was used as a field hospital.

Around the field there are markers for various clans who fought in the battle.  However, our guide explained that although there are mass graves in the field, the dead were not necessarily identified and buried by clan.

We ended our tour of the battlefield outside the museum.  This wall of the museum is a subtle tribute to those killed in the battle.  You can see that there are some bricks in the wall which are offset so they stick out.  On the front portion of the wall 50 bricks protrude in representation of the British soldiers.  There is then a brief smooth section of wall, and then the section representing the Jacobite army, with 1500 bricks protruding.  Some of those protruding bricks are touching each other, representing brothers, sons and fathers, or other family members who fought and died together. 

We spent some time inside the museum – as you walked through the designated route it was like a timeline of the history of what was happening on the British side on the left and on the Jacobite side on the right.  There were also displays of different types of weapons and a diorama of the battlefield.   Photos were not allowed inside the museum.

From Culloden we drove about 20 minutes to Fort George.   Built after the Jacobite rising (1748-69) to suppress future Jacobite rebellions, it was designed to be impenetrable and was the largest fortress in Northern Europe.   The star-shaped fort covers about 42 acres on a peninsula jutting into the Moray Firth and has more than a kilometer of ramparts. 

In the late 1700’s some soldiers were allowed to marry “on the strength of the regiment”, and their wives shared their rooms, earning half-rations by doing domestic chores.  There were no dining halls at that time – men and their wives prepared meals over fires in their rooms.  During WWI the barracks became for soldiers only – 6 men shared a room with cots that would fold up into chairs during the day.

There is a chapel

And even a pet cemetery where soldiers and officers buried beloved pets and regimental mascots.

The Grand Magazine building was used for storing 2500 barrels of gun powder.   It was lower than all the other buildings in the fort, making it a more difficult target to hit.

Fort George remains an active British army base.   I saw this soldier walking from the mess hall to his barracks.   Married soldiers are now housed off-site.

As we returned to our car in the parking lot we had to laugh at this sign, although it was not the first one we’d seen.  Coming from California, it is hard to imagine the fire danger was extreme when we were in a country where having your rain jacket handy and waterproof footwear is a must!

From Fort George we drove to Clava Cairns, a 4000-year-old cemetery complex featuring 3 main burial cairns.  They are surrounded by stone circles and standing stones, notable for their alignment with the midwinter sunset.   It has gained modern fame as the potential inspiration for the “Craigh na Dun” stones in Outlander.

We returned to Inverness and parked downtown and wandered around for a little while.  Our goal was to be at Hootananny, the best Scottish music venue in Scotland, when they opened at 4:00 pm for a late lunch.  We had stopped by Hoots, as the locals call it, the day before to try to make a dinner reservation for Saturday.  They were not taking reservations on Saturday as it was going to be a very busy day.  Scotland was playing their first World Cup game since 1998 and the whole country was pretty excited about it.  The game would start at 2:00 a.m. local time and Hoots was having a watch party.  They had live music lined up from 4:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and multiple people had told us it would be packed, so we had decided to go early, enjoy a late lunch and some music before it got too packed.   It worked out well.  We were the only ones waiting when they opened the door. 

We had a great chat with one of the owners who was pretty happy to hear that his establishment had been recommended to us by friends in CA and was pleased to tell us about modifications they’d made in the last few months.  We ordered food and settled into the best seats in the house where we enjoyed the live music for the next couple of hours.

We didn’t stay up for the Scotland soccer game, but we did watch an earlier game back at the hotel.

Sunday morning we checked out of our hotel and went into Inverness to walk the Ness Islands – a series of small islands in the River Ness which have been connected by foot bridges.  It was a pretty walk.

We also walked through Cavell Gardens, named for a British nurse who was executed by the Germans after she was caught helping soldiers escape from a hospital in Brussels during WWI.  There is also a large memorial to those lost during the war.

As we returned to our car on the other side of the river we passed this small shed belonging to the Inverness Angling Club, founded in 1917.  In front of it was this statue; the plaque reads “BREAC, speckled trout”.

We were all a bit confused – that sure looks like a dog, not a fish!

On our way from Inverness to the location of our yoga retreat we took a detour around Black Isle, which is not an island, but a peninsula, upon the recommendation of the woman working the hotel desk the previous evening who had come over to chat with us during the soccer game.  Our first destination was Chanonry Point, one of the best places in the world to watch bottlenose dolphins from the shore.  There are about 200 dolphins in this area, the only population living in the North Sea.  They are the biggest bottlenose dolphins in the world because they have adapted to living in the cold waters with layers of fat keeping them warm. Beyond the dolphins, on the point of land on the other side of the water near the end of the video is Fort George, where we were the previous day.

As we walked along the shore, we also saw a number of jellyfish.

We then drove a few miles to enjoy a short hike to a waterfall.

We arrived at Alladale Wilderness Reserve about 3:30 pm on Sunday and got checked in.  A quick introduction to Alladale: it is 23,000 acres which was purchased by a man named Paul Lister in 2003. He has converted it from a traditional family-owned estate and hunting grounds, to a blend of high-quality hospitality, nature conservation and education. Since 2010 they have hosted outdoor learning experiences for thousands of students. During the summer they have a "community day" once a week, where people are invited to visit, tour the grounds and learn about their conservation programs. We heard stories about how Paul started "re-wilding" at Alladale before "re-wilding" was a word. Some of the locals thought he was crazy, but now are in awe of what has been accomplished.

One of our first notable sightings were the red deer which hang out around the lodge. There are 5 who are frequently seen right outside the lodge and are accustomed to having people around. They may even come to the dining room window looking for a snack if it is open!

Carlos and Vera had a room in the main lodge, which has a large living area where we would enjoy cocktail hour each evening (self-serve honor bar) and a dining room for shared meals. 

Tim and I were in a small house called Eagles Crag which was about a mile down the road.  We shared this house with Gill (from England), and Stacey and Laurens (from the Netherlands).  Tim and I were assigned the “loft”, which was the entire upstairs – a large bathroom with both clawfoot bathtub and shower stall, and a bedroom the length of the house.  It was set up with 2 queen-sized beds, but they could be rearranged as 4 twin beds if needed.  It was great to have lots of space and a good size dresser to unpack.  Downstairs there was a very comfortable living/dining room area, a full kitchen and a laundry room. Our kitchen was stocked with breakfast items and beverages; we would have lunch and dinner at the lodge with the entire group. 

Although it was a little inconvenient driving back and forth a couple times each day, it was really nice to be in a quieter place, and we did have a rental car so we were independently mobile.

The general routine of our week at the yoga retreat was morning yoga from 9:00 to 11:00/11:30, lunch at 12:30, afternoon yoga 4:00-5:30, cocktail hour 6:00; dinner served at 6:30.   The food was fantastic – all very fresh and well-prepared.  As much as possible they serve organically grown vegies, herbs and berries from their greenhouses and gardens, as well as venison and trout from the reserve. Some meals were totally vegetarian, but we did have fish, venison stew (probably the group’s favorite – very tender and not gamey at all), duck and chicken.

Sunday dinner was the first time everyone was gathered together; introductions were made and we started to get to know each other. There were 18 people involved in the retreat with quite varied backgrounds.  There were people born in 11 different countries who now reside and traveled from 7 different countries. Interestingly, there were no Scottish participants! Over the course of the week as we got to know each other I would describe the people as interesting and interested, kind, inclusive, generous and fun!

Our first yoga class was Monday at 8:30 a.m.  We met at the main lodge and were taken to another building on the estate that was set up specifically for this purpose.  

After a brief introduction our instructor, Donna, who is from New Zealand, got us started with a very slow methodical practice.  She is very good at explaining positions, how to listen to your own body and modify as needed.  The 2 hour class flew by and we were left feeling relaxed and energized.

We walked from the yoga studio back up the hill to the main lodge.  After a short break for people to change if needed and pack up our picnic lunches (they had a variety of foods on the dining room table so everyone could take what they wanted – small thermoses of soup, sandwiches, chips, nuts, granola bars, trail mix, apples, bananas) we climbed into 2 jeeps and set off for a tour of the reserve.

Our first stop was the wildcat breeding center.  Wildcats became endangered not only due to loss of habitat but because as people moved closer they interbred with domestic cats.  As part of a breeding program, the reserve has an enclosed area which has several different penned in areas which are all connected – the cats can be together or the pathways can be closed off if they need them separated for a time.  They started with 1 male and 2 females.  One of the females had 3 kittens a few weeks ago – we did not see them as they keeping the mom and kittens separate for a time so as not to disturb them.  But we did get to see the other 2 – our guide provided some food to entice them to come to where we could see them.

Our next stop was to visit some Highland cows -- or "coos" as they say in the highlands! As soon as they heard the vehicles they all looked up and started moving in our direction.  They gathered around the vehicles mooing and enjoying guide-provided snacks.

A bit further down the road we parked and walked a short distance to where there picnic tables set up outside what appeared to be an old root cellar.  A couple of reserve employees had arrived there before us and lit the fire inside to boil water for coffee and tea as well as setting up other soft drinks.  As we walked down the slope a bagpiper emerged and walked up on top of the cellar while playing.  It was a wonderful surprise. 

While we ate lunch the bagpiper explained about all the different pieces of his uniform – those hose (socks to us) cost a whopping 360 British pounds!!  He also told us how what he is wearing today would differ from what Jamie Fraser wore in Outlander.  The style of his uniform is similar to current military dress uniform, but he is wearing his family tartan and family crest where a military insignia would be so he is not illegally impersonating a military officer.  He also explained the weapons that are typically worn with the tartan and answered all our questions about his uniform, tartans in general, and learning to play the bagpipes. 

He ended his presentation with a couple more numbers on the bagpipe, including the theme song from Outlander and Amazing Grace.

After lunch we got a group photo with our new friends.

We loaded back into our vehicles after lunch and went a bit deeper into the glen (AKA canyon) for our final stop.  From where we stood we could look to the right and see an area where nothing has been done to rewild yet – it is pretty barren.  Over the last millenia more than 90% of Britain's original forest was lost to logging and sheep/livestock raising.

The red deer population is the greatest threat to reforestation. Alladale carefully controls the deer numbers to help with forest regeneration. Before planting trees they must put up a fence to keep out the cows and deer to give the trees time to take root and grow.  They get some money from government grants for planting trees, but it is paid out over 25 years as long as the fence is maintained – so it’s not a money-making venture.  Alladale has planted over a million trees because the owner is passionate about rewilding, not to make money.  Our conversations with Alladale employees made it evident that they share this passion and feel they are apart of something good that will take longer than their lifetimes to manifest the benefits of their daily work.  They had begun the process of digging holes to build a fence in preparation for planting trees in this area. But then a pair of golden eagles nested in the area and they stopped work so as not to disturb the eagles.  A friend of Alladale who was a professional photographer but is now retired comes once every week or so and is able to photograph the nest from a distance using a high-powered telescopic lens.  So, they know there is now a chick in the nest!

When we looked to the left we could see an area with a few scattered trees.  These have come back spontaneously.  But further to the left there is a fence and then an area with dense trees.  This is one of the first areas where trees were planted and the fence will come down in about 3 years.

Tuesday after our morning yoga session, we had a tour of the garden and green house area, which is right by the yoga studio.

The middle green house is actually a “fish room”.  They have 3 tanks where they farm rainbow trout.  There is an enclosed water system that circulates from the fish tanks to one of the greenhouses which is full of hydroponic plants – the fish poop is serving as fertilizer.  The plants are in beds filled with a special type of pellet which absorbs and holds water – every 10 minutes the beds fill and then the water recirculates back to the fish.  When the fish are large enough, they serve as dinner for the guests.   They cannot be released in to the wild because they are not native to Scotland.

After lunch at the lodge we loaded back into the vehicles and drove out the road past our house deeper into the glen for a nature walk with another guide, Violet.  We had a bit of a delay when the military truck got stuck in some mud – we all got out and were able to push it out.  We named this deep tire track “Violet’s Channel”. 

As we walked Violet told us about different plants.  The trees in this photo are all Scotch pines, but as they grow older they grow taller and then their canopy spreads.  

We saw a lot of heather; unfortunately it’s too early for it to be blooming, as well as a Scottish thistle and a type of wild orchid. 

After parking we walked along a road for a bit and then through the heather and bog to the a grove of ancient Caledonian scotch pines.  This is one of the 2 oldest groves in Scotland with trees more than 350 years old.

All of Scotland is covered by "Right to Roam" laws -- basically, there is no such thing as trespassing; people can walk where they want to. It is a matter of courtesy that they don't get too close to homes. Fences, like those around the areas where trees have been planted, have gates or ladders to get over them so people won't cut the fencing. We also learned quickly that "staying on the trail" isn't really a thing here as there aren't a lot of trails. Due to the make up of the peat lands and thick heather, erosion is not a concern.

We took an alternate route back to the vehicles – which meant crossing the river 3 times.  Some feet got a bit wet, but it was a great afternoon adventure!

Violet is young and very enthusiastic, as well as quite funny without intending to be. Tim asked her how she came to work at Alladale. She told us she had just graduated from "uni" where she studied conservation and land management. She was working at a restaurant on the island where she grew up. She had heard that Paul Lister, the owner of Alladale was in town and knew of his work from her studies. One night he came into the restaurant where she was waiting tables and she recognized him; she told us "I served him my resume on a plate alongside his dinner." He invited her to come spend a couple of weeks and see firsthand the work they are doing, and now she's an employee! And a great ambassador!! That's Violet at the bottom of this photo, taking the selfie with the group.

After our group outing Tim went for a quick mountain bike ride with a couple of other guys.

We didn’t get a lot of sleep Tuesday night as we were waiting word from CA about the arrival of our grandchild, which we knew was imminent.  Around 2:00 a.m. I received a text message asking when we would be a convenient time for a FaceTime call the next day.  Since we weren’t getting any sleep I suggested they could call then and we were thrilled to meet our granddaughter, Grayson Louise Bailey!

Although there was a “silence curfew” during the retreat from 10:00 p.m. until morning yoga, Gill, the British woman who was staying in the same house with us, heard us talking at 2:00 am and assumed the baby had arrived and broke the silence to ask before we left to go to yoga.  I was very happy to share details and photos with her.  We maintained the silence in the yoga room before class, but once class ended news of Grayson’s arrival spread quickly and it was really quite a unique and wonderful experience to share such big news with people who we had only met 2 days before but who were so interested and excited!  Several people asked for updates and to see new photos/videos throughout the week -- a video of Grayson's first hiccups was the hit of happy hour one evening!

One of our new friends, Karen (born in New Zealand, but has lived in Australia for 30 years -- on the left in the photo below) was thrilled that our granddaughter shared her birthday. After she mentioned it, someone came up with a card and sneakily circulated it so everybody could sign before dinner that night. The whole group sang happy birthday to her in English, and then various individuals or small groups sang to her in Spanish, Malay, Chinese, Swedish and Dutch.

Wednesday there were some optional activities, such as fly-fishing and clay pigeon shooting.  Tim and I opted to go for a hike.  When we were riding in the front of the jeep on Monday, our guide Michael had pointed out a hill and said there was trail to the top and you could see both coasts of Scotland from the top.  We looked at each other and I knew that had become our mission for the week.  So, when we finished yoga on Wednesday I stopped by the kitchen and asked if we could have a couple of apples to take on our hike.  The cook threw in a few protein bars as well!  We drove about 20 minutes to the end of the road. 

The peatlands store more carbon than the world's forests combined. Historically, drainage systems were implemented across the Highlands to improve livestock grazing, which was destroying the peatlands. Alladale has a project where they block ditches to help restore the peatlands, creating a healthier eco-system and carbon store over time.

From the end of the road there were some very muddy tracks from the equipment (which looked like snow cats) that work crews are using in redeveloping the peat lands.  We couldn't find a trailhead so we headed uphill – following tracks off and on where we saw them, but doing a lot of cross-country hiking.  After about 30 minutes we stopped and sat on a couple of rocks and had our picnic lunch.

Shortly after we resumed our hike Tim realized he had left his “bum bag” (AKA fanny pack) where we had eaten lunch.   I didn’t think we’d gone that far so I said I would wait for him to go get it on the top of the next rise.  When he hadn’t returned a few minutes later I started making my way back down the hill looking for him.  It’s amazing how similar all those mounds of heather look. 

We criss-crossed the hillside trying to find reference points – a white tree stump and a place where we could see a cave on the next hillside to our right.   Tim also pulled out his phone and we tried to line up the background of the photo. It took a while, but eventually we were victorious . . . and more than a little bit relieved!!  By then we needed to head back if we were going to make it to afternoon yoga!

Thursday there was no yoga.  There was a scheduled outing for the group to a castle, a small touristy town on the coast and a whiskey distillery.  Tim and I decided to stay at the reserve and enjoy a quiet day – how many Scottish castles and touristy towns does one need to see in 2 weeks?  We acquired lunch items from the main house and set out about 9:30 to once again try to conquer that hill and see the coasts!   Since we knew now that there wasn’t really a clearly marked trail we decided we would try to follow a stream we had crossed on Wednesday as far as we could and then follow the ridgeline.  As we made our way up we would see in front of us a place that looked level and we’d think we were going to find a trail, but we never did. 

As we were climbing we could see deer running along the ridgeline.  (You have to squint and look really closely -- there are 4 in the photo below!)

It took about 2 hours, but we made it to the top.  It was very windy and raining a bit on top, and it was amazing how different the terrain was.

Although we could see a long way in every direction and the views were spectacular, we couldn’t see either coast! This is a view looking back down the hill -- the narrow road in the valley; our rental car is parked at a widespot in the road next to the creek (right side of the picture).

 When I looked at the 3-D map on the wall in the main lodge later I realized that although we had climbed to the peak Michael had pointed out to us, the one with the coastal view was one peak over -- oh well!

Friday afternoon we went on a guided walk with the group to Croick Church.  It was about a 2 mile walk, and like much of the walking in Scotland, there wasn’t much of a path.  But our guide, James, has led this walk many times and was proud to tell us that he no longer gets lost.  There were some beautiful views along the way. 

Croick Church is one of the most remote churches in Scotland.  It was built 1825-27 for under 1500 British pounds as part of an 1823 Act of Parliament to provide new presbyterian places of worship for rural communities.  There were about 20 families in the area.

In 1843 about 450 ministers broke away from the church of Scotland in protest to form the Free Church of Scotland.  Most of the families in Croick followed their minister, leaving only 2 families attending Croick Church.  On May 24, 1845, tenant families were forcibly evicted from their homes in this area to make way for a sheep farm.  They took shelter, not in the church, but in the graveyard.   A make-shift camp was set-up for about 80 people.  A tangible reminder of this bleak time in the area’s history was messages scratched on the windows on the east side of the church, including some of the names of the displaced people.  The windows have been preserved and inside the church is a diagram replicating the windows with messages.

Services have continued at Croick Church intermittently.  Electricity was installed in the 1980s and major repairs were carried out.  During covid restrictions in 2020 the church doors were locked for the first time.  A decision was made to close the church permanently, but Historic Churches Scotland got involved and took over care of the church.   Urgent work was done to weatherproof the building and make it safe to reopen.  The bellcote, which was badly damaged and unstable was taken down and is currently housed inside the church until the costly repairs can be made.  More extensive work is needed which will require planning and funding, but in the meantime, the church is being maintained so it can be open for the public to visit and occasional services.

As we wandered around in the cemetery Vera called me over to show me this tombstone – she noticed that one of the people listed had died in a driving accident on June 2, 1904 in Caldwell, Idaho!

Some of us were picked up at the church by Michael and his dog, Misty so we could get back in time for afternoon yoga. 

Tim and a few others walked back with James, taking an alternate route along the river.

After dinner Friday evening we headed to the TV room in the lodge to watch USA vs. Australia world cup match.  Two ladies who are not native Australians, but have both lived there for more than 30 years joined us for the first half, but went to bed feeling discouraged at halftime.  None of the native Aussies joined in.

Saturday afternoon we had a few hours of free time.  Tim hiked up a hill closer to our home.  I thought I was going for a nice stroll along the river.  It turned out to be much more cross-country than I had anticipated.  I eventually returned to the road and walked home to do a little writing on this blog and start packing before afternoon yoga.  Tim had a cell signal on the top of the hill, so he called to tell me he could see the house.  I looked out the bathroom window and could just barely see him!

A couple more photos from our time at Alladale:

We joined our new Dutch friends cheering for their team in a World Cup match one evening.

Group dinner photo

I loved these flowers and the view just outside the door to our house:

We enjoyed our last evening with our new friends and Sunday morning we all gathered at the lodge for breakfast and good-byes before heading our separate ways.

Tim and I, along with Carlos and Vera, were headed back to Glasgow.  We had booked rooms at the Holiday Inn at the airport as we all had early morning flights.   We took a different route back to Glasgow, with a stop about halfway at the Highlands Folk Museum.   We didn’t realize until we arrived that it was an outdoor museum with areas/exhibits portraying life in the Scottish Highlands during the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s.  We also learned upon arrival that there were special activities that day revolving around the reenactment of the Jacobite uprising in the 1700s.

From the entrance we walked about a mile to Baile Gean --- a 1700s township.   Some scenes from Outlander were filmed here (although the woman we spoke with at the entrance was quick to assure us that the Folk Museum and Baile Gean had been around before Outlander.)

As we were looking around the village some British troops marched in.  They were looking for a particular person they thought was trying to raise support for the Jacobites.  They searched the homes and asked all the townspeople (as well as we tourists), but did not find the man they were looking for!  

After about 10 minutes the commander suggested that we follow a couple of the local ladies back through the forest to a place where we would be safe.

We followed the group as requested as the troops made their way to the forest on another path.  We were gathered at the place where their path intersected the main path when they were ambushed as they came down the hill.  We watched the ensuing skirmish; eventually the British troops retreated and the rebels came out of their hiding spots.

In the forest near Baile Gean we had stopped to look at a sawmill, powered by a waterwheel.

There was a number of buildings representing life during the 1800s and 1900s including a school, general store, tailor’s shop, tweed cottage, joiner’s workshop and homes, as well as displays of farming equipment.

I think the Highland Folk Museum exceeded expectations and turned out to be a great last stop on our journey.  We checked into the hotel around 5:30, turned in the rental car, had dinner and said our farewells to Carlos and Vera.  We got a few hours of sleep before walking across the street to the airport at 3:45 a.m. for our flight to Heathrow, and then on to San Francisco!

From SFO we drove directly to Rohnert Park to meet Grayson in person -- the best homecoming ever!!

When we moved to Singapore in late 2012 I signed up for a course at a church designed to help expat wives learn about local life, as well as make connections.  One of the women in the course was Lisa.  She and her husband, Clayton, and their 3 teen-aged sons, as well as Tim and I, all started attending the same church and became good friends.  Lisa and Clayton (L&C) are originally from Australia.  We shared many good times and good meals together in Singapore.  We returned to the US in December 2017; they returned to Sydney, Australia a few months later.  We’ve stayed in touch since that time and they have been inviting us to visit Australia frequently in texts and phone calls.  After a couple of false starts and date changes, it finally happened!!!  

Tim and I flew out of LAX the evening of March 3rd; the 15 hour flight and time changes had us landing in Sydney early on the morning of March 5th.  We easily made our way through immigration and customs and took a shuttle to the domestic terminal where we caught a flight to Perth, in Western Australia.  It was a 5 hour flight crossing 2 time zones so we arrived there late morning.  We took a shuttle to a nearby hotel, then spent the afternoon walking around the area in the 98 degree heat and forcing ourselves to stay awake so we could adjust to the time change.  We had an early dinner at a nearby restaurant then went to bed around 8:00 PM, slept soundly through the night and woke up on Australian time — success!!

L&C flew into Perth late morning on 3/6.  We took the hotel shuttle back to the airport to meet them, then we all got an Uber to a hotel downtown.  We spent the afternoon just wandering around the downtown area and catching up. 

Saturday morning, 3/7, we took an early morning ferry to Rottnest Island.  We had purchased a package that included passes on a hop-on-hop-off bus to get around the island so we could see as much as possible.  One of the main attractions of Rottnest Island is the quokkas — small marsupials that live there.  Funny story -- when C had texted us suggesting we go see the quokkas, autocorrect changed it to quakers.  Tim and I had no idea that quakers had moved to Australia but thought we were going to visit a quiet religious village, not some small marsupials!

There is a small community where the ferry docks on Rottnest Island.  While Tim, Lisa and I stopped in at the little market to pick up some stuff for a picnic lunch, Clayton stood in line at the local bakery to get some pastries for breakfast.  We had breakfast on the beach and then got on the bus. 

The first place we got off the bus was to hike to the lighthouse. 

Opened March 17, 1896, the light house is now thoroughly modernized and is part of the network operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.  It replaced a previous lighthouse which  started operating in 1851.  The lower part of the original lighthouse remains and contains a small museum about the history of the lighthouse. 

We enjoyed the views from the lighthouse and “morning tea” at the nearby coffee cart.

It was unusually warm and the quokkas are mostly nocturnal, so they were not really out and about as they sometimes (reportedly) are.  We did see a couple sleeping under bushes and one we named Frank hung out with us at a bus stop!

Our next stop was at the West End of the Island, “Cape Vlamingh”.   The West End Boardwalk was designed to protect the breeding habitat of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters.  These seabirds migrate to Western Australia to breed but spend most of their time out at sea.  They obtain their food from the ocean, diving while in flight, and they are able to “fly” underwater with half-open wings.  They excavate burrows up to 4 meters in length and up to 1.5 meters below the surface where they hatch 1 chick per breeding season.   We didn’t see any shearwaters, but we did see several of their burrows.  

Looking across Fish Hook Bay we could see a large osprey nest, called a “stack”.  Their sturdy nests are made of interwoven sticks piled on a limestone outcrop and some are known to be 70 years old.   Ospreys can mate for life and a may use the same nest year after year or pass them on to the next generation.

We walked down another boardwalk in the opposite direction to an area where there are often seals, but not the day we were there.  However, we did see a rare white-faced egret!

We got back on the bus and headed to a beach we had been told was good for swimming, but not as crowded as some of the swimming beaches.  Just before the bus stop Clayton spotted a picnic table in a shaded area.  When the bus stopped everyone else walked down the path to the beach, but the 4 of us detoured to the private picnic area where we enjoyed our picnic lunch.

Then we spent about an hour and a half swimming and enjoying the beach before we got back on the bus to get to the marina in time to catch the ferry back to the mainland.

Sunday morning Tim enjoyed a run and I walked around the area near our hotel in downtown Perth.  There are great biking/walking paths and bridges around this area on Elizabeth Quay.

Mid-morning we walked to a museum that had a special exhibit by a renowned Western Australia ceramic artist.  Lisa is also a ceramic artist so had a special interest in seeing the exhibit, but we all found it beautiful and interesting. 

We also spent some time in an exhibit of Aboriginal art called “I Am”, recognizing the interpersonal relations and connections of the First Peoples of Australia in strong families and communities which shape their daily lives.  Some of the artworks challenge negative stereotypes and reveal some hidden history. 

This textile woven with grass, raffia and wool tells the story of 2 communities who decided to work together to build a road between them.  Families from both communities gathered to help.  The men chopped trees and cleared the grass; the women cooked food and moved camp as the road progressed.  The children played together as the camp moved daily.  The artist was one of those children.

Another piece that caught my attention was this  display of 600 hand-blown glass yams, which are a traditional Aboriginal food.  In the 1950s and 1960s the British conducted several nuclear bomb tests in southern Australia.  The shape of this exhibit is a silhouette of the mushroom cloud produced by one of those bombs (Totem I) and the yams resemble both an explosion and a cloud of water drops.  Each yam represents an Aboriginal person from the artist’s community who went missing or died because of the nuclear tests.

This art exhibit was our first exposure to the culture, history and impact of the the First Peoples of Australia.  As we learned more throughout our visit we saw numerous parallels to the stereotypes of Native Americans in the US.  But we also saw throughout Australia recognition and respect for the indigenous communities and their role in the country’s history.  Throughout the blog, text related to the First Peoples of Australia will be in red.

As we were leaving the museum through the gift shop (that concept is apparently universal) a children’s book caught  my attention and I picked it up and flipped through it.  At home I have been reading “Braiding Sweetgrass - Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer.   This children’s book shared similar themes about the Aboriginal people but written for a younger audience.

Sunday afternoon we flew from Perth to Esperance, a small community on the coast of Western Australia, where we had a very comfortable AirBnB for the next week.  This is the view out our living room window.

When we landed in Esperance it was 103 degrees F.  We settled into our home, went grocery shopping and while preparing dinner the wind kicked up and the temperature dropped about 30 degrees in a half hour!  The temperature remained in the 60s and 70s throughout our stay, with intermittent winds and a couple of rain showers during the week.  It was a bit chilly for swimming, but we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the area and walked on some beautiful beaches.

Monday afternoon we explored part of the Great Ocean Drive. Our first stop was at the Taananedity-Dempster Head viewpoint where there is a viewing tower and walking trails developed and maintained by the local Rotary Club.

Known as "Taananedity" by the Esperance Nyungar people, the name translates to "where you climb to see over". It was a central lookout due to it's elevation, but it was also a place of storytelling, hunting lizards, camping, harvesting native plant foods, making tools and fishing. The European name "Dempster Head" was after the Dempster brothers, pioneers who developed Esperance for pastoral use in the 1860s.

The viewpoint was surrounded by large rocks and it was fascinating to see the plants that are able to flourish in the small cracks in the rocks.

We then drove to Salmon Beach where we enjoyed a picnic lunch and more great views.

Each of the next 3 days we visited a different national park -- all along the coast with multiple beaches. Tim ran; the rest of us walked. Sometimes we were the only people on the beach. Tuesday we were in Cape Arid National Park.

This day was also our introduction to Banksia -- a type of Australian plant found in many climates and areas of the country. There are more than 170 varieties, ranging from small shrubs to trees 100 feet tall. They have characteristic flower spikes, woody "cones" and heads. They were named for Sir Joseph Banks, a naturalist on Captain Cook's first voyage to the Pacific Ocean, which landed on Australia for the first time in April 1770. Sir Banks and another naturalist collected thousands of specimens.

The drive to Cape Arid took us through some vast wheat farming land. This time of year the fields are fallow, but we could see that there were very large farms. At most of them the farmhouses were so far off the road you couldn't see them, but many had unique and fun "signs" at their entrances!

Wednesday we visited Cape LeGrand National Park. We were the only people walking at Rossiter Bay

but at our next stop, Lucky Bay, there was a coffee stand and a fair number of people. (We watched a cruise ship dock in Esperance that morning and it appeared a busload had chosen a Lucky Bay excursion while in port). After a walk on the beach we had lunch there.

In the afternoon we stopped at Thistle Cove and Hellfire Bay where we heard the whistling rock. The Bullenbuk people of Esperance say "Be still and listen carefully . . . when the wind blows amongst the rocks at Hellfire Bay you can hear our ancestors crying for two children who were carried out to sea by mother walich the eagle. She was angry when she saw that the children had stolen her eggs and taken her future from her. The early morning dew on the rocks and hills are the tears of the parents and family who watch and wait in vain for the children to return."

Initially we didn't hear anything, but when we walked around the far end of this large rock we could hear the whistling!

Our final stop of the day was Cape LeGrand.

The following day we headed the opposite direction to see Fitzgerald River National Park. It was a longer drive (> 2 hours). We stopped near the park entrance in Hopetown for "morning tea". The cafe where we stopped looked like a regular cafe from the front. But when we went to the back of the building to use the restroom, we found that behind the cafe was a bed store.

This explains the sign in the front window advertising a "Bed and Breakfast" special.

Beyond that (where we found the bathroom) was like a large garage with various vehicles and some appliances.

For years in Singapore I heard our British and Australian friends talk about a "lemon squash", but I had never had one. So, when I saw them in the drink cooler I decided it was time to give it a try! It was refreshing and I thought the can was amusing. (Read the line around the top of the can as I turn it.)

Inside Fitzgerald River National Park we visited Wonjarup, also known as Hamersley Inlet -- a 7 km long deep, winding valley carved through the headlands and surrounded by woodlands.

This is the original country of the south coast Aboriginal Noongar people. Waterways and sheltered bays were important because they were rich in traditional resources and wild foods, including fish, shellfish and waterfowl. Noongar people continue to camp, fish and collect favoured foods at Wonjarup and maintain their strong cultural and spiritual connection to the waterways.

We had heard that there was a wildfire just 2 weeks earlier and much of the park remained closed. We could see the fire damage on the opposite side of the inlet from where we were parked.

We walked along the water to explore the beach -- sandy one direction (Tim ran that way) and rocky the other direction (L, C and I explored the tide pools.)

To return to our car we took the overland route.

We had a visitor during lunch -- a goana,

who also hung around for siesta time before we got back in the car for the drive back to Esperance.

One of the nice things we found in all the national parks we visited were gas grills available to the public. We put them to good use and enjoyed some delicious lunches on our excursions.

We also noted that every parking area we went to had a sign with a location number; in case of emergency you don't have to try to remember the details of where you are -- just give the emergency operator the number on the sign. Defibrillators were also readily available, but I found it interesting that you have to call 000 to get a code to open the box -- apparently theft has been an issue.

On Friday we decided to just hang out in Esperance. Tim and I rented bikes. We rode a few miles out of town to Wylie Beach and climbed "Wylie Head" -- a massive rock. It was pretty windy on top

but we had a panoramic view in every direction,

From Wylie Head we rode back toward Esperance and did a loop around the town. We went to the end of the pier. Next to the pier is this "memorial" called The Black Line -- a Symbol of Sadness. I was unable to zoom in and get a clear enough photo for you to read it yourself, so I've transcribed parts of this memorial, as written, below.

The top part of the plaque is written by Henry and Annie Dabb, who remember the black line being at the jetty:

"There was a time in the 50s or before then when there was an imaginary line in the sand, us blacks was not allowed to pass it after 6 o'clock at night.

Growing up at bandy Creek was a rough life, but like most kids we were happy because we was bush kids, me and my younger sister Annie. Sometimes we would catch the bus, but often we would walk to school. Because I was the oldest, I would stay a bit later after school playing with my mates. I have good memories of the old jetty because we used to fish there or running along the railway lines, then look down at the water through the gaps, and not so good ones where we would sleep under the jetty because we were too late in getting out of the town and walking back to Bandy Creek, so dad would cover my sister and I with seaweed to keep us warm and hidden.

Seeing a new jetty built would be good for the community and also refresh our sad memories of a bygone era. From our past, our future grows stronger."

Below the photo of a white family visiting local Aboriginal people in 1928, there is an explanation of the systematic exlusion:

The exclusion of Aboriginal people from the townsite of Esperance, and in particular the sunset curfew applied to them after dark, coincided with the development of the Esperance Tanker Jetty in the 1930s. The curfew was permitted by Clauses 37, 38 and 39 of the Aborigines Act 1905 and was enforced by the local police.

The bottom portion of the sign shows a letter from the Local Health Authority and Vermin Board, dated February 26th, 1930 directing The Chief Protector of Aborigines in Perth, to establish an Aboriginal Reserve at least 5 miles away from the townsite "for obvious reasons".

Writing this blog post, several weeks after visiting this site, brings tears to my eyes . . . again.

Also near the pier is this sculpture of a whale's tale which is known as a symbol of Esperance.

Saturday, our last day in Esperance, we drove another section of the Great Ocean Drive. Our first stop was at Observatory Beach. A long walk on the beach took us to a surf club/life-saving school. There was a competition going on that day.

There were age divisions, starting with U8. I stood and watched the U10 competition. The kids ran into the water from the starting point and had to swim to 3 different buoys; then they swam back in, grabbed a surfboard and repeated the course on the surfboard. There were numerous life guards in the water, some in kayaks, making sure everyone was safe, but it was amazing to see the comfort level of these young kids in the ocean!

We stopped at 2 more beaches that afternoon -- 10 mile lagoon, which was not accessible, and 11-mile beach, which was more of a lagoon than 10-mile lagoon!

Since it was our last night in our AirBnB we needed to finish all our desserts that night. We had lemmings, topped with Tim-Tams and surround by chunks of a chocolate bar!

Sunday morning we stopped at the "New Moon Van" near the pier on our way out of town to the airport.

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I loved that they don't use any disposable cups. You can bring your own cup, or they have a "cup library". The little cart to the right has large cups on the top and small cups on the bottom. The basket on the left is to return your cup when you are done. The sign under the window on the left side shows how many takeaway cups have been saved from going to the landfill by their cup library so far this month (almost 200) and this year -- 1296!!

We flew from Esperance back to Perth, where we rented a car and drove about 3 hours south to the town of Dunsborough. Once again, Clayton had found a very comfortable AirBnB where we spent 3 nights. This is the view from our front porch looking out, and from the street looking in!

Monday we drove around the area a little bit and went for a walk on a beach.

We stopped at a little shop and did some olive oil tasting, then went to a local brewery for lunch. Tim and I both had this delicious cauliflower salad which I'm hoping to replicate someday soon!

The following day Tim and I walked into town and rented a stand-up paddle board. There's no photographic evidence because we were either carrying the paddle board to the beach, or we were in the water. We paddled our way up the coast to our little rental house, took a break for lunch, and then paddle back to the beach where we started and carried the board back to the shop (which was probably at least 1/2 mile inland from the water).

Our time in Dunsborough was pretty relaxing. This is the view of the sunrise from our porch.

The Cape-to-Cape Track (we would use the word trail) is 124 kms (approximately 77 miles) from Cape Naturaliste lighthouse to Cape Leeuwin lighthouse in the far south west of WA. It mainly follows the coast, but has some parts that go inland a little ways. It was designed to bring people close to the environment and the ever-changing display of vegetation.

Although many people walk the track (or some portion of it ) on their own, Clayton had booked a 4-day guided walk for us. We were never lost!! And we didn't have to worry about where we were staying or where we would eat -- that was all built into the plan! We didn't even have to pack up our suitcases -- we stayed in a condo at Smith's Beach Resort. Each morning our driver, Dan, would pick us up in the van, drive us to our starting point for the day, hand out our pre-packed lunches as we got out of the van, and then magically reappear when we reached our destination for the day. Our guide, Matt, would keep us on the right track, as well as teaching us about plants, animals and history of the area as we walked.

We met Dan and Matt at Smith's Beach Resort at about 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18. It was too early to check into our condo, but we left some of our luggage in a storage room off the reception area. The receptionist gave us a map of the area. It was titled "Wadandi Boodja" and stated "The Wadandi people are the traditional owners of the South West of Western Australia. Wadandi Boodja means Saltwater People's Country. Whilst living, traveling, visiting and holidaying on Wadandi Boodja, we ask that you respect the area and walk softly on the country, taking the time to listen to Boodja (country) as she Wongi (talks) of the season, and leave nothing but footprints. " There was also a note that the map includes traditional place names for towns that are officially recognised by their non-Aboriginal name.

After a pre-walk briefing, Dan drove us a short ways to Injidup Point and we were on our way! As we started walking one of us commented that we had observed several towns in the area with names that ended with "up" and asked Matt if this was significant. He explained that there are 14 Indigenous languages spoken in this area. "Up" means "place of" in the Indigenous language. Injidup means "place of red pea flower" because there are so many of red pea flowers in the spring. (Since Australia is in the southern hemisphere, we were there in the fall. Although we didn't see any red pea flowers at Injidup Point, we did see some later on our walk.) They are also known as "cockie's tongue".

There is a nearby town called "Yallingup" which means "place of hole". In this case, "hole" refers to caves -- there are several in the area.

As we walked, Matt pointed out some plants, including native rosemary (smells like a combination of rosemary and sage), bush tomato and shark's tooth wattle.

He also educated us about snakes in the area, including rock pythons and brown snakes. He showed us where the snake bite kit is kept in his backpack . . . just in case. But we did not see any snakes on the trail.

Matt explained that in this part of the country, all the coast land has been declared national park in order to protect it. In some places the national park is very narrow -- such as this area, where only the land between the fence and the water is national park.

After walking for about an hour we stopped at a popular swimming hole called "The Aquarium" for a short swim and lunch. The water was a bit chilly, but very clear. Lunch was delicious and beautifully presented. Matt told us this was a teaser for the rest of our meals on the walk!

After lunch we walked a couple more hours back to Smith's Beach. This photo was taken looking back at The Aquarium from the trail.

Another landmark we passed that day was "Canal Rocks". If you look closely in this photo, you can see the natural canal between the rocks.

It was a short walking day -- about 5.5 kms. When we arrived at the resort, not only had our luggage been delivered to our condo, but our refrigerator was stocked with beverages and a prepared meal for our dinner. It included a beautiful salad, rice and chicken curry (ready to pop in the microwave when we were ready to eat), and a creamy dessert with mixed berries!

Day #2 of our walk started at the Naturaliste Lighthouse, which is surrounded by peppermint trees -- also known as the "ringtail highway" due to the raccoons who travel from tree to tree.

The lighthouse was built in 1902. The lens was shipped from England in a big vat of molasses to protect it during the journey. In 1996 the last lighthouse keeper on mainland Australia retired from this lighthouse. It continues to function, but is now fully automated.

We walked about 14 kms on day 2 and saw a lot of interesting plants and learned how a local indigenous group, the "Dandy", used some of the plants.

We saw a lot of this thin, viney plant. It will grow on top of other plants, covering a large area, but does not smother or harm them. Several Dandy people would form a circle surrounding an area where this plant was growing and all lift it up simultaneously. They then used the plant as a fishnet.

The Dandy were nomadic people, generally living in tents/temporary structures. They would cut and scatter the leaves of this plant around the perimeter of their camp to deter "creepy crawlies" from coming in.

Granite Claw is a plant which is endemic only in this very specific part of Australia -- no where else in the world!

On the other hand, we saw grass trees are all over Australia. They have these tall spires that grow out of the center. They burn very slowly -- smoldering for several days. The Dandy people would use the spires to carry fire from one village to another.

This is an Australian Christmas tree because it is covered with orange and red flowers during December and January.

The Dandy people believe the spirits of their ancestors live in these trees, so they will never cut one down, even if it's in the middle of a field that has been cleared and cultivated.

We also saw a very impressive spider web on this day

And took this group photo on the boardwalk with Sugarloaf Rock in the background.

We stopped for lunch at Meelup Beach. Meelup is a Nyungar word meaning "place of the moon rising". From there we were looking across the bay at Castle Rock.

We finished our walk for the day back in Dunsborough and Dan drove us back to Smiths Beach. Tim went for a swim while I walked along the beach parallel to him. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Lamont's -- the restaurant at the resort where we were enjoying a better than continental breakfast every day!

Day # 3 of our walk was about 14 km from Redgate Beach to Beranup Forest. As we started our walk, Matt told us the story of Isaacs Rock.

Sam Isaacs was born in 1845, the son of a Native-American or African-American sailor who arrived on an American whaling ship in the 1830s, and a Wardandi woman. His mother died during childbirth and he was raised by a local family on their farm. As a teen he was known in the area for his skill in handling cattle and his horsemanship. On December 1, 1876 he was searching for cattle when he saw the SS Georgette, a ship in distress off the coast. He rode the 20 kms (12 miles) back to the homestead to get help. Sixteen year-old Grace Bussell was the only one home. She accompanied him back and they both took their horses down the cliffs into the water to rescue people from the ship. They rescued about 50 people in the next 4 hours and then took them back to the homestead. Grace was awarded a silver medal for bravery by the Royal Humane Society. Sam was awarded a bronze medal and was referred to in contemporary reports as "Grace's black servant". But the WA government waived outstanding payments on a lease of 100 acres of land nearby, allowing him to own the land and be the first aboriginal to receive a Freehold Crown Grant of land in WA. The large rock where the ship wrecked became known as Isaacs Rock.

In 2021 there was a huge wildfire that burned all of the area we were walking in this day. Although there is a lot of new growth, we could also see remaining evidence of the fire.

I'm sure this plant has a scientific name, but locally it is known as "ham and eggs".

Walking along the trail we saw some lizard tracks. You can see the footprints on either side of the long thin line. Allthough the footprints look pretty big, the line left by the tail is quite narrow, so we knew it wasn't a very big lizard.

We stopped on a large rock overlooking the ocean for our morning tea break.

We saw a lot of this grass as we walked along the coast. The Dandy people had many uses for it including chewing on it to stay hydrated when walking long distances on hot days. They would tie one long strand around their waist while fishing, then when they caught a fish they would put another strand through the fish's mouth and hang it from their "belt". They also separated the fibers and wove them into ropes to use for various purposes.

We stopped to marvel at this grass tree. Grass trees grow 1-1.5 centimeters/year; so we figured this one is 200-250 years old. They are very hearty and often withstand fires.

There are many caves in this area of Australia. We passed the entrance to one as we headed inland toward the forest.

The latter part of our walk on day #3 was in the Boranup Forest. There are many karri trees, which are the 3rd or 4th tallest trees in the world and are related to eucalyptus.

The number of birds we could hear as we walked along this fire road was amazing, but they kept themselves well-hidden. You can see a lot of new, low growth in this area following a major fire a few years ago.

Dan picked us up at the edge of the forest and we stopped at Windows Estate for a bit of wine-tasting on our way back to our condo.

Windows Estate is a small family run winery. The wife, Jo, hosted our tasting and told us about the history and their farm, as well as the wines. Her husband is the winemaker. The art on the labels is done by a local artist and depicts various plants and animals found on the farm.

We had a couple of hours to relax and get cleaned up before Dan picked us up to drive us into town for dinner at a nice restaurant. We cleaned up alright!

Walk into Luxury, the company providing our guided walk experience, works with this restaurant to provide a special menu with wine pairings for their walking customers. Everything we ate was very unique and delicious.

Our final day of walking was another short one, about 7 kms. Right where Dan parked the van and we got out, we saw these kangaroo tracks.

But no kangaroo! We took our final group photo as we started our walk at Moses Rock. In the distance we could see some cliffs which were our destination, but they don't really show up in the photo.

This little scorpion crossed the path as we were walking along.

At one point we passed this creek that was running into the ocean.

There was not much water now, but Matt told us that during the rainy season it is much wider and deeper. He crossed it with a group a few months ago when it was up to his waist.

Once again we saw several types of plants/trees that appeared to be growing out of the rock!

We had our morning tea on top of the Wilyabrup Cliff.

As we were sitting there I noticed this vine growing out of the rock and hanging down over the edge of the cliff. I pointed it out to Tim and we both said, "Princess Bride!" If you know, you know. If you don't know, you should watch the movie!

As we walked inland from the cliff, we saw the origin of the creek we had seen earlier. The area is covered in lilies, which suck up much of the water.

Dan picked us up near here and drove us to the Vasse Felix Winery.

Once we had been introduced to our server in the wine tasting room, we said good-bye to Dan and Matt. (We had left our rental car parked here that morning.) We enjoyed a private wine-tasting and a special lunch as the grand finale of our walking experience.

The ferry ride to Great Keppel Island was more exciting than we had anticipated. A storm passed through the area and we were battered by pouring rain and winds during the 30 minute ride. We were very happy to arrive on the island, and that the storm passed quickly!

The traditional owners of the Keppel Islands are the Ganomi-Woppaburra, a sea-faring saltwater people whose land and water we now share. They were thought to have lived on Great Keppel Island for around 700 years.

Great Keppel Island is on the sourthern most part of the Great Barrier Reef. The island is roughly 3600 acres and has 17 sandy beaches. Some of the beaches require a hike to get to -- there are 6 color-coded "bush trails" on the map we were given.

We arrived on the island Sunday around 2:00 p.m. and spent the afternoon getting settled into our studio bungalow

and exploring the area around Great Keppel Island Hideaway, the resort where we would be staying for the next week.  It’s a “back to basics” resort — no WiFi or TVs in rooms, but available in the dining area.  Although parts of the dining area are covered it is all open air which means we went through a lot of insect repellent and chased a few seagulls and other birds away from our food. 

Although we had a kitchenette, we had purchased a meal plan so we didn’t have to worry about finding a cooler and hauling food from the mainland with no idea of what the facilities would be like.  There was adequate variety on the menu and the food was not gourmet, but it was good. 

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset Sunday evening as we had our first dinner on the island.

It rained during the night and was windy off and on.  There was a rainbow as we ate breakfast. 

Then we headed to the dive shop.  Australia is very strict about diver safety and requires any diver who hasn’t logged a dive in the last 12 months to take a refresher course.  Since we hadn’t been scuba diving in about 10 years we both had to take the course.  We had done the online portion prior to arrival.  We spent a couple of hours reviewing at the dive shop along with 3 other gals, and then we all went for a dive with 2 instructors who had us demonstrate and practice some specific skills in the water.  Although visibility was not great due to the storm the day before we did see quite a few fish.

Monday afternoon we hiked to Long Beach and walked all the way to the end of the beach.  Nobody had been on the beach and there was a clear line in the sand between where the waves had washed up and where the sand was still dappled from the rain the previous night.

 We also saw many of these little holes in the sand surrounded by these little balls of sand —  a type of small crab burrows down in the sand and tosses out the sand as they dig a hole.

Returning to the resort at dusk we saw several butterflies and then a group of about a dozen peacocks.  Then the bats came out!

Tuesday morning we both went diving again.  It was pretty windy still and the water was quite rough getting to the first dive site.  Visibility was limited again but we saw some giant clams, an epithet shark and various fish and coral. Fun Fact: Giant clams can live over 100 year and help keep the reef clean by filtering large amounts of seawater!

After showers, lunch and a nap we hiked to 1st Lookout, a spot with great views of both Leeke’s Beach and Fisherman’s Beach in opposite directions. 

 There’s a fair amount of construction on the island — the government is building a new welcome center, as well as removing some older structures.  There are several detours which are not clearly marked so it took us longer to find the trailhead than to actually hike the trail to the lookout, but the views were worth the effort!

Walking back down a short steep section of the trail I saw this piece of wood sticking up that looked like a fish.  And a couple steps further there was this profile of a dolphin! Thereafter, we called this the Fish/Dolphin Trail.

Wednesday Tim went diving again.  I went for a hike.  One of the keys to safe diving is “plan the dive, and dive the plan”.  We use the same mantra when hiking - plan the hike, and hike the plan.  So before Tim left I had showed him on the map where I intended to go, so he’d know where to look for me if I wasn’t back when expected.  When I arrived at Mount Wyndham Peak an hour into my hike I realized I had missed a turn because that was not where I intended to be.  So much for my plan!  I took this photo and sent it to Tim’s phone with a text message with my newly revised plan. 

Throughout my 3.5 hour hike I sent photos at clear waypoints with updates on my status.   Although he didn't have his phone with him, if he returned to our bungalow before I did, he would have some idea of where I was.

Mount Wyndham Peak is the highest point on the island and the trail map said you can enjoy a 365 degree view.  Unfortunately, the trees have grown up since someone wrote that description and I really couldn’t see much except trees.  I made my way back down the mountain and took a trail to Leeke’s Beach.  I walked all the way to the far end and then back to where you can get back on the trail and go over the hill to return to the resort.  Walking along the beach I saw 6 stingrays playing in the waves  just a few feet off the beach.

There is a rocky area on Leeke Beach which is impassable at high tide but fortunately the tide was out and I was able to make my way across the rocks and climb the steep hill to get back to the resort. 

Meanwhile, Tim dove off of Bald Rock and then Wreck Beach.  The visibility was somewhat improved and sightings included moray eel, lobsters, clown fish and puffer fish.

Thursday Tim and I decided to hike to the lighthouse.  The trail guide and signs said it was 7.1 kms, but our Fitbits and legs said it was more like 9 kms each way.  It was a good 5 hour hike with some excellent view points and a bit of wildlife along the way.  We had some steep, rocky trail and some wide, smooth trail.  

The first point of interest was the historic Leeke homestead which was constructed 1922-1924. It was the home of Lizzie Leeke from 1922 to 1945.  She had originally moved to the island in 1918 with her first husband and they grazed sheep on the island.  Her husband died in 1923 and the following year she married a fisherman named Ralph Leeke, who was 17 years younger than her.  She continued to run sheep and he worked as a fisherman.  Ralph left the island in 1933, but Lizzie stayed.  Other than at shearing time when a shearer and a wool classer would come to the island she had no help except for her 2 dogs -- remarkable at any time, but especially so for a woman a century ago!  Lizzie sold the lease in 1945 and died on the mainland a few years later.

Just beyond the homestead there were a number of feral goats grazing in a nice green meadow.

In addition to the official signs, a local artist had added some rock art marking the way. 

This was a favorite!

Where the path crossed through wooded areas we quickly learned to keep our eyes open for  spiders webs crossing the path.  There were some large spiders! 

When we saw one we needed to duck under or go around we tried to mark the trail with branches to help us avoid the spiders on our return trip.   

Walking along the top of the ridge and looking at the trees can you guess which direction the wind usually blows?

Just before reaching the lighthouse we came to a top of a hill where we had a view in every direction!

We reached our destination!

From there we had a great view of Bald Island where Tim dove the day before!

On our return trip we noticed these large mushrooms we had somehow missed on our way.

And Tim almost stepped on this big lizard!

Friday Tim went diving again.  The visibility was better and he saw some giant angel fish, lots of parrot fish, and a 2 foot long porcupine puffer fish.  From the boat they saw dolphins, pilot whales, an eagle ray and a sea turtle.

I spent a quiet morning at the resort reading and catching up on some correspondence, after the obligatory walk on the beach.

In the afternoon we hiked to Monkey Beach in search of an unmarked midden which we had read about. A midden is a shell mound built up over hundreds of years as a result of countless meals of shellfish. Unfortunately, we were unable to find it, but we had a nice hike.

Saturday was our last day on the island. We did yoga and ran on the beach, read, played games and packed up. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset again as we waited for dinner.

We left GKI on the 8:00 a.m. ferry Sunday morning. Back at the marina we met, Paul, the same driver who had taken us to the marina the week before, and he returned us to the Rockhampton Airport. From there we flew to Brisbane where we rented a car and started driving south to Sydney.

We drove to Coff's Harbor that evening, checked into our studio apartment and went grocery shopping; had dinner and went to bed. It had been a long day of traveling!

Our goal on Monday was to go surfing -- we had heard and read that this was a great area for beginning surfers. Our apartment was less than a block from the beach. We walked on the beach in the morning and I spoke with a lifeguard who said we should go to the esplanade area and look for a guy named Art Winkler. We didn't find Art, but we found his truck in the parking lot. I texted him asking if we could arrange a lesson and surfboard rental. Unfortunately, he was totally booked that day. So we walked back toward our apartment -- the lifeguard had also said there was a gas station near us that rents surfboards. They had boards available, but by this time we were hungry so we decided to return to our apartment and have lunch and a nap before we rented the surfboards.

When we returned to the gas station, we were informed that in addition to the rental fee, which we could pay with credit card, we needed to leave a $200 deposit and it had to be cash. We did not have any Australian dollars -- we had not needed any up to this point; in fact, many places use contactless payment and do not accept cash. So, we went in search of an ATM. One hour and 3 ATMs later we returned with our $200.

We returned to the gas station to find a new cashier who informed us it was $200 per surfboard (not total). At this point, Tim was ready to give up on surfing, but I insisted the cashier call her supervisor who agreed to let us rent 2 surfboards with the $200 deposit. Finally, we had our boards and headed to the beach.

We spent the next couple of hours playing in the water with our rented surfboards. Tim got up a couple of times; to call what I did "surfing" would be a stretch . . . . but we had a good time! Sorry, no photos!

We returned to our apartment, which had a grill near the swimming pool and eating area. We BBQed steaks and had a lovely dinner.

The next morning we headed down the coast, making an inland detour to visit Dorriga National Park. There are quite a few waterfalls in the area -- we saw a couple from the road, and once we reached the park, hiked to another one.

There were some huge trees and vines on the trail where we hiked.

After our hike we stopped at the park's visitor's center where there are some educational displays and a skywalk, which is an elevated walkway which offers a great view of the area.

We spent Tuesday night in Port Macquarie. Wednesday morning we visited Guulabaa, also known as Koala Conservation Australia (KCA). "KCA acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present, and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of the Birpai nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. "

Walking from the parking lot to the entrance we were greeted by "The Big Koala" -- representing the spirit of all koalas.

Australia's iconic koalas are under threat and KCA has a long history of caring for sick and injured koalas. It started in the 1970s when a couple in Port Macquarie who owned a shoe store saw a koala on the street who had been hit by a car, took it home and nursed it back to health in their garage. Over time, others in the community joined them and a koala hospital was built in town. Recently the KCA opened this Wild Breeding Guulabaa just outside of town.

There are 3 types of residents:

1. Wild Breeding Koalas -- carefully chosen for health, genetics and behaviour, they live in large natural enclosures with minimal human contact. The joeys stay with their mothers for about 1 year before being prepared for release into carefully selected habitats.

2. Rehabilitation Koalas -- they'v e been admitted to the hospital because they are sick, injured or found in a dangerous location. They are provided with appropriate medical care as needed and then moved to the pre-release yard to regain strength and prepare to go back to the wild.

3. Permanent Residents -- wild koalas who came into the hospital for treatment and can't return to the wild because of injuries or long-term medical conditions. They are ambassadors who help teach visitors about the threats koalas face and the importance of conservation.

At the time of our visit there were 10 permanent residents on exhibit and 3 in home care, 9 koalas in rehab, 24 in the breeding area and 6 joeys.

Each permanent resident has their own gunyah (shelter). Each gunyah has branches where they can climb and perch, and a shelter to protect them from the sun and rain.

From a viewing area we could see about a dozen gunyahs -- each a little bit different. They were numbered and there were signs with corresponding numbers telling about the residents. We were able to find 5 koalas, but only Nero and Nigel were positioned where we could get clear photos of them.

Nero, on the left, is a male, estimated to have been born in 2018. He was found in a dangerous spot on one of the busiest roads in Port Macquarie. He appeared unwell and was sleeping on the ground. Blood tests showed unusual results and he had odd behavior for a wild koala. It was determined he couldn't be returned to the wild.

Nigel is a male who was found entangled in a fence. He was a tiny joey and they were unable to locate his mother. His left leg was badly injured and had irreversible nerve damage which led to the difficult decision to remove it. With months of care and rehabilitation he has learned to adapt and grown into a strong, resilient koala.

FUN FACTS ABOUT KOALAS:

Koalas are usually quiet, but during breeding season (August to March) the males make loud, deep grunting bellows to attract females and warn off rivals.

Koalas can leap up to 2 meters between tree branches.

Koalas have "super livers" which are highly developed to produce enzymes that help breakdown toxins in eucalyptus leaves. They are one of only a few animals that can digest these toxins,.

Koala's bottoms are padded with extra cartilage -- a built-in cushion so they can sit comfortably on hard branches for long times.

Koalas have a low body temperature and slow metabolism. They sleep 18-20 hours/day to save energy for feeding, climbing and finding mates during breeding season.

Teaching about environmental conservation is also part of the mission of the KCA.

Guula (koala) as totem: "Totems are a relationship of responsibility, where I am responsible for caring for that kin (Guula) and they are responsible for me. And I am not just responsible for Guula, but also for the environment Guula lives in and everything in that environment." Quote attributed to Guulwanyang Moran of the Djuyalgu Wakulda people.

Upon leaving the koalas, we headed south. We had about a 4 hour drive to L&C's house in the suburbs of Sydney.

Thursday Clayton had to work, but Lisa drove us to the North Head in Sydney Harbor National Park -- we enjoyed a walking path with some of the best view points in the Sydney area. In one direction we could see the city across the harbor.

In the other direction we saw this incredible cliffs.

At one viewpoint this was carved in the stone: BURRAGULA At this lookout we celebrate Burragula, the time of the sunset where we can watch the sun settle behind saltwater. Country Burragula is also the time of Burraga, the long -nosed bandicoot, who can be seen scurrying through the landscape as the sun sets here.

From the National Park we drove to Manly Beach, a well-known beach in the area known as the north beaches of Sydney. We had lunch at a beachside cafe and then Lisa left us, and Tim and I took the ferry across the harbor to Circular Quay in the central business district of Sydney. We enjoyed the 30 minute ride which took us past the navy yard and right next to the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. When we got off the ferry we walked to the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney -- established in 1816, it is Australia's oldest botanic garden and home to more than 27,000 plants from around the world.

"Bujari Gamarruwa (Good Day) -- we honour and respect all Gadigal Elders, Traditional Custodians and First Nations people of the lands the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and The Domain Sydney stand on. We acknowledge the lands as significant historical, ceremonial and traditional trade grounds. "

Near the entrance we had a great view of the Opera House.

We enjoyed walking through the gardens and seeing the variety of plants and trees,

As well as some birds

That is not a statue. It is a real bird enjoying a real fountain.

The area surrounding the Botanic Gardens is known as The Domain Sydney -- the path we were on took us through a gate to this area. We walked through a temporary outdoor theater on the harbor where the Sydney Opera House is doing a special production of Phantom of the Opera. They've built a set right on the water and seating for about 300 people. They were actually rehearsing as we walked through the area -- it was a thrill to see for just a moment. Unfortunately, no lingering was allowed.

We walked to the end of The Sydney Domain to sit on Mrs. Macquarie's Chair. Mrs. Macquarie was the wife of the first govenor.

As we walked back along the water, we had a great view of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge once again.

We took a different path back through the Botanic Gardens and enjoyed some different plants.

We found our way to a train station and took the train back to Lindfield, the suburb where L&C live. It is about a 10 minute walk from the station to their house. We were reminded how much we enjoyed using public transportation when we lived in Singapore -- it's a great way to get around when it is organized, well run and relatively inexpensive!

The next day was Good Friday and most tourist destinations were closed. We went to a mid-morning church service at L&C's church. Then we all went to Balmoral Beach for lunch. Their youngest son, Angus, and his fiance, Belle, joined us. There were no tables available at the restaurant where we had planned to go so we went to a take-out fish and chips stand and had a picnic in the park by the beach. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Belle and hearing their story!

L & C had errands to run, and Angus and Belle had plans for the afternoon, so they left us at the beach. We wandered around Balmoral for a while and enjoyed seeing all the families enjoying the holiday.

A highlight was seeing this kookaburra up close!!

Eventually we used public transportation to find our way back to L & C's house.

Saturday was our big tourist day in Sydney. We took an early train to the city as we had tickets for a 9:00 tour of the Sydney Opera House. We had tried to get tickets to a "behind the scenes" tour, but it was sold out weeks in advance. We found the general tour very interesting and well-done. As I look back on the photos, it is difficult to remember all the details about the history and construction, but hopefully I can provide an overview and a few fun facts.

Our tour guide started with some of the history. The point of land where the Sydney Opera House now sits was a gathering place for the First People, frequently used for ceremonies and cultural events. When the city decided they wanted to build a venue for performing arts, they wanted to honor that spirit. A competition was held to choose an architect and design, and the winner was a Danish architect named Jorn Utzon. Unfortunately, he had a falling out with the local government due to budget and other construction problems, and left Australia shortly before construction was completed. In the later years of his life he made amends, but he was unable to return to see the finished building. However, the Opera House was recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of human creative genius while he was still alive -- one of only 2 architects to ever receive such an honor.

Since opening in 1973, the Sydney Opera House and it's iconic "sails" have become the symbol of modern Australia.

This is the view looking out a window in a gathering area just after we entered the building.

The "sails" you see from the outside are an amazing engineering phenomena, which I can't explain, but I can tell you that they do not have any internal support. The performance halls inside the building have a separate ceiling and the walls do not touch the outer layer of the building. This photo is at the entrance to one of the performance halls. You can see that there is a small space between the inner walls (wood finish) and the sails (concrete).

Outside, the sails are covered in tiles. There are approximately 996,000 tiles. They have a special finish that makes them self-cleaning so the dew at night and rain keeps the tiled portions of the building clean. Up close you can see that there are some beige tiles mixed in with the white -- these were used to break up the reflective quality of the white tiles. If all the tiles were white the reflection of the sun would make the building too bright to look at.

The windows are not self-cleaning. All the windows are cleaned, both inside and out, every 2 months. It takes a crew about 5 days to wash them all.

The Opera House has 2 large performance venues and hosts more than 1800 performances/year. The concert hall seats 2700 people. No microphones or speakers are required due to the hard wood and architectural design which provides great acoustics. There is a pipe organ with over 10,000 pipes. It took 3 years to tune it when it was first installed. We were able to go inside the concert hall for a few minutes and hear the Sydney Symphonic Orchestra preparing for a concert a couple hours later. However, we were not allowed to take photos due to privacy contracts with all the workers and performers.

We did get to take a few photos inside the Opera and Ballet Hall. This stage area is unique -- due to the narrowness of the sails, there are no wings. So they work vertically. There are 2 stories under the stage, including the orchestra pit which seats 80 people. Sets and scenery are hanging above the stage. There are speakers in this hall to enhance the orchestra, but not vocals.

When we finished our tour, we walked to the Australia National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbor. This place, Pirrama, is the Bamal (earth) and Badu (waters) of the Gadigal people.

This is the view of the outside as we crossed a walking bridge to get to it. In addition to inside galleries, there were 3 museum ships we were able to tour.

The first ship we toured was a submarine, the HMAS Onslow. As you can imagine, there's not a lot of space in a submarine and everything was tight and confined. I was relieved that Tim made it through the submarine without a serious head injury!

Next we visited the HMAD Vampire, a destroyer. We watched a film about it's role in WW II, and were familiar with parts of the story that took place in Singapore. There was significantly more space for everything on the destroyer than there was in the submarine, including a hospital wing. The officers, in particular, had some pretty nice quarters and recreation room.

Finally, we toured a replica of The HM Bark Endeavor, the ship that James Cook used to explore Australia in the 1800s. There were a couple of volunteer docents aboard who were very eager to share their knowledge. Below the decks was pretty much one large area for cooking, sleeping and storing everything. It was not well -lit and difficult to get a good photo. Getting out without banging your head was again a challenge!

Inside the museum we explored a few of the galleries. The first displayed artifacts of how the First People traveled in the water and fished. On the left are a variety of hooks and traps used to catch fish and eel. On the right side are fishing boomerang which are used for fishing in shallow tidal water to kill larger fish and other marine animals. These boomerangs do not return.

The water crafts of Australia's First Peoples are diverse and have been carefully adapted to many different environments. Several were on display, along with The Saltwater Bark paintings which tell the story of the saltwater country of Arnhem Land.

Another gallery had an exhibit called Serving Country. It was a display of portraits and the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have served in the Royal Australian Navy. They have a proud history of serving in the defense of their nation even when they were denied the most basic rights of citizenship.

Finally, there was a photo exhibit. They had held a competition for photos related to the sea. Out of thousands of entries from all over the world, they had selected around 200 in various categories which were on display. There were some amazing pictures!

We made our way back to L & C's house mid-afternoon so we could assist with the final preparations for Angus and Belle's engagement party that evening. It was a lovely gathering; we enjoyed meeting several of Clayton's siblings whom we have heard about for years, as well as other extended family and Belle's family. At the end of the evening we got a picture with L & C's family: oldest son, Lachlan, and his wife Natasha, Angus and Belle, Lisa and Clayton, and middle son, Campbell.

Our final day in Australia was Easter Sunday. We attended church, where there was a lively, joyful service including a song that the youth led which included motions, jumping up and down and turning around. After the service there was an Easter egg hunt for the children and hot cross buns for everyone!

Tim's family lived in Arequipa, Peru for several years when he was a young child (1964 to 1972) for his father's job. When they arrived, Tim's mother, Mary, was concerned about educational opportunities for her young children -- there was no English education available. She soon found a group of other Americans, Brits and Peruvians with an interest in establishing a bilingual school. They got to work and El Colegio Anglo Americano Prescott opened in the fall of 1965 with 2 classrooms in a small rented house.

Mary passed away on July 3, 2025. She had mentioned to me a couple of years earlier that when she died she would like memorial gifts to go to Prescott. We included this information in the obituary and were touched by the response from friends and family. Within a few days Tim and his sister, Melissa, decided that we needed to go to Arequipa and present a gift in person, and we needed to go as soon as possible. So, exactly 4 months later, on November 3, Tim and I found ourselves at LAX awaiting Melissa's connecting flight from SLC. Shortly after she arrived, the 3 of us boarded a direct flight to Lima, Peru.

We arrived in Lima late at night, took a shuttle to a hotel and got a few hours of sleep before our early morning pick-up. Melissa had worked with a tour company which provided a car and driver to take us to Arequipa -- a 3 day drive with a few stops along the way. We figured that as long as we were going all the way to Peru, we should see as much of the country as we could in 2 weeks.

Traffic was crazy leaving Lima, but we eventually got out of the city and drove south along the coast for a few hours before arriving at our first stop --Islas Ballestas, sometimes referred to as "Little Galapagos". We boarded a tour boat with about 35 schoolkids and their teachers.

We were cruising along the inland portion of the Paracas Peninsula where we saw the "Paracas Candelabra -- a prehistoric geoglyph etched into the hillside. The sandy hillside has not changed in spite of the winds.

After about a 40 minute boat ride, we reached the Ballestas Islands, which we cruised around to view the wildlife

penguins, birds, crab, and sea lions

and the rock formations, including "Profile of Christ",

and Elephant's Head.

We learned that these islands are protected as part of a national reserve and are important "guaneras". The guano (waste) produced by the many birds builds up over time and about every 3 years, when it gets to be about 3 feet deep, a team of trained workers is brought in to harvest the guano which is used for fertilizer throughout the country.

As we continued our drive south along the coast we were surprised by the arid desert on our left.

We spent that night in Ica and the following morning continued our drive south. Day 2 of driving we saw more desert, but we also experienced some mountains. The highway is all 2 lane and there are a lot of big trucks, so when you get on curvy roads with incline, it can be pretty slow going. It was fascinating to be driving along looking at the desert, then go around a curve and suddenly see a green agricultural area!

One of the traffic challenges in that part of Peru on that particular day was the transport of parts to construct a large windmill. There were 3 huge blades being moved and the road had to be closed to opposing traffic where there were curves to accommodate the length of the vehicles. It was clearly a well-organized event requiring quite a large number of people and vehicles. We made our way past the 3 blades in the morning, but while we were at our tourist stop of the day, they kept moving, so we got to pass them again in the afternoon.

Our big stop on this day was at Nazca. The Nazca lines are a group of over 700 geoglyphs created in the Nazca Desert between 500 BC and 500 AD. People made depressions in the desert floor, removing pebbles and leaving different colored dirt exposed. The lines are generally 4-6 inches deep. Their width varies from 12 inches to 6 feet, but about half of them are around 13" wide. In addition to the many straight lines running across the landscape, there are also designs of plants and animals which are usually made from one continuous line. It is unknown why the people created these lines -- there are various theories including astrological, religious and cultural significance, irrigation and communication with other worlds.

The Nazca lines are best seen from the air, so we had reservations to fly in a small plane over the area.

When we checked in for our flight we were each weighed and then received specific seat assignments on our plane with 3 other tourists. We had to go through security and present our passports prior to boarding the plane. We noticed that one of the other people on our plane had a Singapore passport so we enjoyed chatting with him while we waited to board.

Tim got to sit right behind the pilot. He could see all the flight instruments, as well as the Nazca lines. He had a great time.

Melissa and I, being the smallest people on board were relegated to the tail of the plane which we quickly learned was much bumpier and had very poor ventilation. As we flew over each figure, the pilot would bank to the right and then reverse the circle and bank to the left so everyone could see it. Some of the figures we saw were an astronaut, a monkey and a spider.

Melissa and I were soon wishing we had thought to take Dramamine!! We made it through the flight without catastrophe, but I will admit that I did not get to see all the figures -- I was focusing on the horizon. When we landed Melissa and I definitely needed some time on solid ground before we got back in the car for another 6 hours! It was a long day on the road, but we enjoyed a beautiful sunset as we drove.

We spent the night in Camana and the next morning left the coast and headed inland to Arequipa.

It was a relatively short day on the road, we arrived in Arequipa early and had a relaxing afternoon.

Melissa had found a small boutique hotel, Casa Arequipa, which was in a residential area about a 10 minute walk from the plaza. Originally the home of some wealthy socialites, it was converted to a 10-room hotel a few years ago. The owner, Eddie, was very friendly and helpful. If you're ever going to Arequipa, we highly recommend this as the place to stay.

We had dinner Thursday evening at a very nice restaurant with the head principal of Prescott School and several of the board members.

At this dinner we presented the board with a check in memory of Mary. The principal informed us that they intended to use the money to purchase more instruments and support the music department because they knew Mary loved music.

Friday morning we went to visit the school. This was our first glimpse of the campus as we entered from the parking lot.

We were taken to the board room where we met several board members and the director. Together we walked to the gym where all the students and staff were assembled. As we walked in everyone stood and clapped. We were so moved and honored. We were seated in the front row for a beautiful assembly. A teacher spoke about Mary and her role in the founding of the school.

Rosemary Barreda, the one founder remaining, was unable to be at the assembly (she now lives in Lima), but sent a recorded message which was played on the big screen.

They then showed a video which was recently prepared for celebrating 60 years, highlighting the many achievements of the Prescott community.

Carmen Garcia Calderon, then spoke. She attended Prescott, then returned as a teacher 35 years ago, and is now the head principal of the school.

There were then some musical performances by students -- opera, ballet, hip-hop -- an impressive variety and great talent.

Tim and Melissa then had an opportunity to speak and share from their perspective how much the school and community had meant to all of their family, but especially Mary.

The principal and the president of the board, were joined by 2 students to present some gifts to Tim and Melissa.

The assembly ended with the entire school standing to sing the school song.

After the assembly we returned to the board room where we had a light brunch and an opportunity to visit with board members. Melissa's husband, Rich, had arrived in Arequipa on an early morning flight, was picked up at the airport by a school employee and arrived just after the assembly started.

The clock in the boardroom has a photo of each board as the numbers. The 12 is the original founders, including Mary.

On another wall is a painting of the founders, created from that photo.

All the other artwork in the boardroom is student produced.

In a hallway outside the boardroom there is a photo of the rented house where the school started 60 years ago.

This was a sharp contrast to the school grounds which we now toured. The school now has 1349 students enrolled in preschool through high school.

The view of the campus as we left the administration building. The octagonal buildings house classrooms. All classes are limited to 25 students.

There are a couple of outside learning areas.

Computer labs and state of the art science labs

Art rooms, as well as theater and music rooms.

Outdoor recreational areas.

The preschool is housed in a self-contained area with several classroom and activity rooms encircling a large outdoor play area.

Every person in the Prescott community -- students, alumni, parents, school employees, board members -- are part of a house, designated by color. There is some friendly competition between houses. These bins and graphs show the status of each house in collecting recyclables. The money they collect through recycling is used to support those who are less fortunate, such as purchasing wheelchairs.

A new high school building is under construction . The project will include a swimming pool, as well as new classrooms and an auditorium.

As we walked around the school we were welcomed warmly by students and teachers alike. It is hard to put into words how impressed we were with the school -- the people, the facilities, the sense of community, and the dedication of the board members to maintain the goals and ideals of the founders. It was an inspiring day and we are so proud of Mary's legacy!

Interestingly, as we toured the school we realized that the current school location backs to the Leche Gloria plant where Tim's dad worked. (The original school was not near the plant). When we left we drove past the front of the plant.

After our tour of Prescott we made a quick stop at our hotel to change clothes, then we went to the Monasterio de Santa Catalina, where a member of the school board had arranged a private tour for us. A monastery/convent was first established in Arequipa in 1580. The original buildings were destroyed by earthquakes in the early 1600s. The current building was established in the late 17th century. It was "wrapped in a veil of mystery and silence" until 1970, when a large part of the convent was opened to the public.

This was a convent for rich girls so the living circumstances were not as stark as they were in other convents. The first 4 years, as novices, the girls lived in simple, but comfortable, private rooms.

They had their own courtyard and chapel.

After 3-4 years they became nuns and they lived in apartments which housed 1-3 nuns. They had bedrooms, a common living area, a kitchen, and sometimes a music room. There were about 50 apartments in the community.

There was a large garden area and this area with large vats that the nuns used to make "chicha" a type of beer made from corn, and for doing laundry.

We were able to go on the roof where we had a view of the city and could also see the newer part of the convent which currently houses 15 nuns and is not open to the public.

As we left the convent I was stopped for a photo op!

From the convent we walked to "Mundo Alpaca" -- "an Alpaca experience center, with the goal of spreading the value of this fine fiber throughout the world."

In 1896 Frank Michell was born in England. He emigrated to Peru in 1922 and and in 1931 he founded the first company to export sorted and washed Alpaca fiber. In 1945 they established the first spinning mill in Peru. Over the years, the company has established multiple retail brands of alpaca and vicuna products while maintaining a firm commitment to sustainability. They have received 11 international certifications related to animal welfare, respect for the environment and fair trade.

Frank Michell was a generous benefactor who was instrumental in establishing Prescott School. His grandson, Derek, is a graduate of Prescott and remains very involved with the school. He attended the dinner with the board, and while visiting with him at the dinner, he invited us to visit Mundo Alpaca the next day where he is also currently the chairman of the board.

We learned about the 4 different types of camelids found in South America.

And got to feed some of them!

We also learned about how they separate and process the different fibers, make yarn and weave beautiful products.

I found learning about vicunas particularly interesting. The smallest of the camelids, with the finest fiber in the world, they were almost extinct in the 1960s. Frank Michell led the effort to implement conservation programs which helped them to survive and thrive. They were considered sacred by ancient Peruvians and were captured, gently sheared and released during an annual "Chaccu" ritual. This display explained the ritual which involved the members of a community encircling the vicuna with a colorful rope to secure them for shearing.

Today, vicunas remain protected in Peru and are only sheared in the wild using the same ancient methods. The Michell family business contracts with local indigenous groups to shear vicunas using the ancient methods -- an arrangement that protects the animals and helps to support the local people.

Of course, there was an opportunity to shop prior to leaving Mundo Alpaca.

Arequipa is often called “The White City” because many of the buildings are built with white rocks which are mined in the area, called “sillar”. It’s a relatively soft rock, so it was cut into bricks and used construction.   On Saturday we drove about an hour outside of the city to visit one of the quarries where they are mined and sculptures are on display.  

On our way back into the city we had the driver take us to the neighborhood where the Burgess family had lived back in the 1960s.  He parked and we got out of the car and started walking down the street.   We peeked through an open gate and Melissa immediately recognized a tree that she used to climb and sit in to read as a child.  

Melissa and Tim both then recognized the house where they once lived, although neither the house nor the garden have been well-maintained.

We had hoped to visit the cathedral and the attached museum on Saturday there was a special event so it was not open all day as it usually is.  We were able to walk through the cathedral on our way to dinner, but were unable to visit the museum or attend a mass.

Since Rich was not with us for dinner with the school board on Thursday, we returned to Chi-Cha’s, the restaurant where we had eaten so that Rich could experience it.  We enjoyed a drink on the rooftop bar, watching the sunset, before enjoying another delicious dinner.

And we enjoyed walking through the Plaza as we returned to our hotel for our final night in Arequipa.

Sunday morning we left Arequipa and drove to the small town of Chivay.   We saw a lot of vicuna, alpacas and llamas during the drive.  We saw some vicuna who appeared to have been sheared quite recently; shortly thereafter we passed some people winding up the rope with colorful streamers which was used in a recent chaccu ceremony (that we had learned about at Mundo Alpaca).

We also stopped at a lookout spot to viewpoint where you can see the 7 volcanoes of the central Andes.

 We arrived in Chivay early afternoon – Tim went for a run, Rich rented a bike, and Melissa and I walked around the small town, where there was a series of statues with plaques explaining some of the historical characters and culture of this village, which is 200 years old. 

 We reconvened at our hotel a couple hours later and drove about 30 minutes on a narrow road with some of the sharpest switchbacks I’ve ever seen to enjoy some time soaking in thermal baths at one of the numerous natural hot springs in the area. 

Chivay is the largest town in Colca Canyon.  .  Throughout the valley are towns founded in Spanish colonial times, and the local people maintain their ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate stepped terraces, known as andenes. 

Monday morning we drove deeper into Colca Canyon to enjoy the views and try to catch a glimpse of the Andean condor, a bird species that has been the focus of conservation efforts.  With a depth of 3300 to 6600 feet, this Andean valley is the second deepest canyon in the world (the deepest is in China), and is about 43 miles long.

We did see a couple of condors as we were driving, but not while we were at “Cruz del Condor”, the popular spot to view the condors.  At this point the canyon floor is 3900 feet below the rim of the canyon.

After exploring the canyon we drove to Puno, a city on the shore of Lake Titicaca.  On our way into town we stopped at a park with a viewpoint of the city and the lake.

We arrived at our hotel on the plaza to discover their was a “manifestacion” – informal miners were protesting that the government is not allowing them to continue mining without authorization.   There were speakers and hundreds of people gathered in the square. 

We were concerned that the noise would continue into the night, but the clerk at our hotel told us they would leave at 9:30 p.m.  It was amazing how quickly the square cleared out as soon as the final speaker ended around that time.

From our balcony we also caught a parade which was part of the 75 year anniversary celebration for a local school. 

Tuesday morning we had an early wake up call for a tour of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world at 12,549 feet above sea level.   We boarded a tour boat and cruised for about 30 minutes to one of the Uros Floating Islands.   These small islands are constructed entirely from a specific type of reed which is buoyant, and have served as the homes, boats and livelihood of the local indigenous Uros people for centuries  There are many of these small islands and they have a rotational system so that every island has an equal opportunity to host tourist groups (about once a month) – selling their handicrafts and providing transportation for tourists on their reed boats is how they earn their livelihood.

We disembarked the tour boat on one of the floating islands, which is the home to 5 families comprised of 16 people.   We were given a demonstration on how the islands are constructed – Pieces of peat, about 1 meter thick, are cut; then the reeds are cut, bundled together and laid in perpendicular layers until they are about 1 meter thick on top of the peat. 

To compact the layers so they don’t slide, the men play soccer and the women play volleyball.  The islands are maintained by adding new  layers of reeds every couple of weeks and are anchored to the lakebed.  When boys turn 25 years old they are expected to leave home and start a new island.

Our host families shared about their daily lives – the women weave and make textiles and souveneirs with the reeds; the men fish, hunt birds, collect eggs and also weave souvineirs with the reeds.  They  gave a short performance of their traditional song and dance,

and then we had an opportunity to visit inside their homes and purchase handicrafts.  

We then boarded their reed boat for a short ride to another island with public restrooms and concessions where we would rejoin our tour boat.  We really enjoyed this short boat ride as we shared the top portion of the boat with a school group from Yanke, a small village we had driven through the day before.  We learned these students were graduating from 5th to 6th grade and had earned the money for this graduation trip by dancing in the village plaza in the morning and collecting tips from tourists, then attending class in the afternoons.   The kids wanted to practice their English and started asking us questions.  They asked me how old I was and when I told them it was my birthday, but they would have to guess how old I was; and then they all sang “Feliz Cumpleanos” to me!

At the concessions island we reboarded our tour boat and cruised for about another hour to Taquile Island, which is somewhat like stepping back in time.  Taquile is a large island, with 6 separate communities which are self-sustaining.  Everything grown on the island is organic and everyone walks everywhere – there are no vehicles or horses.   There is no pollution and no stress.  The life expectancy of residents is more than 90 years old. 

From the boat dock we had to walk about 45 minutes to the nearest town.   You can see how clear the water is along the shore.  Looking across the lake you can see Bolivia.

Tourists from several tour boats were gathered in the town square where the locals did a demonstration of traditional dance and music.  For the last dance we were all invited to join in.

We then walked a short distance with our boat group to an outdoor patio area where we had a delicious lunch of local foods – quinoa bread, quinoa soup, trout with rice, fried potatoes and salad.  As we finished our lunch we were joined by a leader of the local community who shared more about local life.   He started with a demonstration making shampoo/detergent with a locally grown herb.  After grinding it, he filtered it and then rubbed it to make suds.   He demonstrated its efficacy on a piece of dirty wool.

Textiles are an important part of local life and cultural identity where everyone has a role – the men knit and the women weave.   The children all wear hats until they are 5 years old.  The girls hats are brown and red; the boys hats are white and red.  At 5 years old the girls start to wear a black wrap with pompoms which all females wear.  When they marry the colored pompoms are made smaller to indicate they are now married.

The boys wear a different style of hat once they turn 5.  It has one pompom which is worn in the back when young.  Once the boy is old enough and interested in looking for a wife, he wears the pompom on the left side of his head; once married the pompom is worn on the right side of his head.

Marriages used to be arranged, but now the young people can choose their spouses. However, prior to marrying, a marriage test is required -- the couple lives together for a few months; if life is good, they plan a wedding. If it's not so good, they separate. If a baby is conceived during the test marriage is obligatory. Once married there is no divorce.

The head of each community wears 2 hats – a knit one with a sombrero on top to indicate his status in the community.

The men also wear belts as a sign of marriage.  The band underneath is likened to a wedding ring (the black and white belt in the above photo).  The wife makes this for her husband and weaves some of her hair into it.  She must make a new one about every 5 years as they wear out.  Over the wedding belt the men wear a “calendar belt” for special occasions (the purple belt).

Our host passed around some samples of the textiles so we could see them up close and feel them.  The hats are so tightly knitted that they are waterproof.  They have been recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece in art design.

Following this very interesting and informative program, we walked back to the dock, boarded our tour boat and returned to Puno.  Our driver was waiting for us with our luggage and we climbed into the van knowing we had an 8 hour drive to Ollantaytambo.  As we left the city, we were observing that many of the buildings looked like they had never been finished. Our driver explained that taxes are less if buildings are not finished, so people start an additional floor with no intention of finishing it and generally don't paint the buildings.

We arrived in Ollantaytambo around 12:30 a.m., and with a bit of difficulty found our hotel, checked in and went to bed. 

Ollantaytambo is a town in the Sacred Valley (Valle Sagrado) which is at 9160 feet elevation.  It was a significant Incan administrative, religious and military hub. It is known for archeological sites and hiking; the Inca trail passes through.  We had no specific plans the next day – just to hike and explore the area.  After breakfast and talking to the hotel clerks about various options for hiking we set off on a hike to a stone quarry.  We enjoyed the views and the different plants. 

At around 10,000 feet we came to a fork in the trail.  I was not feeling great (due to the high altitude) so I decided to take the trail that stayed at that elevation.  Tim, Melissa and Rich climbed further up to the quarry, then came down the other side and we met up where the 2 trails converged again.  They explored the quarry. 

The highlight of the trail I took was a hikers rest area with bathrooms, a covered eating area and several cows and a donkey just hanging out -- a very peaceful place.

It was interesting how sound carried up in the hills.  I could hear Tim, Melissa and Rich talking for a long time before I could see them.  But, suddenly, their voices sounded like they were coming from below me and I thought we had somehow missed each other.  Amazingly, we had good cell signals and could track each other. Here’s a screen shot of the text conversation we had:

Once we found each other, we trekked back down the mountain and through town.  Our plan was to stop at the train station to get train tickets to take the train to Cusco the following day.  We followed the train tracks into town, but we were on the wrong side of a fence and couldn’t get to the station.  There was a large gate at either end of the station preventing pedestrians from accessing or crossing the railroad tracks.  The guards at either end were not sympathetic to our plight and were not about to let us through the gates, but there was a local woman who clearly made this trek on a regular basis (and our impression was that the guards would let her through when there weren’t tourists around).  The second guard told us to follow her to a “trail”.   We would not have realized it was a trail, as it was a small creek coming down the hillside.  The local woman knew exactly where to put her feet and swiftly jumped from rock-to rock making her way up the hill without getting her feet wet or bumping her head on low tree branches while we tried to keep up with her!

I took this photojust as we started on the trail -- it does not show how steep the path is or how overgrown it was further in. We made it to the train station, and then we learned that there is not a train from Ollantaytambo to Cusco.  Fortunately, there were numerous taxi drivers hanging around looking for tourists who wanted a ride to Cusco so it didn’t take us long to find one and make arrangements for the next day.

Our dinner in Ollantaytambo was definitely memorable, but not for the expertly prepared local cusine, unusual dishes or outstanding service!  As we walked through town returning to the hotel from our hike we had checked out several restaurants and decided on one which had a 3-course fixed price menu with several options that sounded good.  When we returned a couple of hours later we were the only customers in the restaurant and chose a window table on the second floor overlooking the street.  A teenage girl came to take our order.   She brought our drinks first, one at a time, and then we waited . . .   A few more customers had arrived and it was apparent that she was the only person waiting tables.  Eventually, Melissa wanted a second glass of wine, but since we hadn’t seen our waitress in awhile, Tim went downstairs where he found her eating dinner.  He spoke with the chef (apparently the girl's brother) who said they didn’t have any more white wine.  So, Tim went across the street and bought a bottle of wine at the liquor store.  Eventually Tim, Melissa and I were served our meals.  Rich and I had ordered the same thing, but his did not come at the same time.  He told us all to go ahead while our food was hot – we started eating and sharing with him.  We caught the waitress’s attention and asked about Rich’s meal; she said she would go check on it and disappeared downstairs.  The next thing we knew there was a young man taking orders from newly-arrived customers.  We got his attention and asked about Rich’s meal.  He said, the girl had only put in an order for 1 originally, but the chef was now working on the second one.  He also told us that the girl was overwhelmed and had quit and walked out.  Fifteen minutes later, when we learned the chef had not yet started Rich’s meal, we told them to forget it!  Being a very good sport, Rich paid for dinner for the other 3 of us – he and I went over the bill with the new waiter line by line crossing off the items we had ordered which were never received.  As we left, we could see the girl in the kitchen with the chef – laughing!  It appeared the 3 workers were siblings and all trying to cover for each other.   Although Rich insisted he had eaten enough with all that we had shared from our plates, as we wandered around the cobblestone streets of the old town following dinner, he stopped at a bakery and bought an empanada.  It wasn’t until later that we realized that there was no fixed price menu, which was what had originally drawn us to this restaurant!!  Fortunately, we all maintained our sense of humor and had a lot of laughs throughout the evening instead of getting mad!  (Reminder:  my blog is called “Embrace the Culture”!)

Thursday morning we enjoyed a shorter hike to visit the graineries on the edge of town.  . . . .

We also walked through the local marketplace.

We were told on more than one occasion that there are more than 4000 varieties of potatoes in Peru. Unfortunately, our experience was that all the restaurants use the same variety! But it was fun to see a few others in the market.

We met our driver back at the hotel late morning for the 2 hour drive to Cusco.  This is the “stoplight” leaving town on the road to Cusco.

The drive to Cusco was uneventful.  We checked into our hotel and had some time in the afternoon to wander around the nearby plazas and do some souvenir shopping.  The main event in Cusco was dinner that evening.  Back in 2013 our son, Paul, had spent a semester studying in Cusco and we had made plans to meet his host family for dinner.  Although his host father, Roger, and his parents had run a restaurant when Paul lived with them, they had closed their restaurant during covid, so we met at another restaurant near their neighborhood.  We had a lovely evening getting to know Roger, his wife Yeni, and their 2 sons, Gael and Rafa.  Gael was a toddler when Paul lived with them, and Rafa was not yet born.  They were very interested in hearing about what Paul is currently doing and seeing recent photos.  We enjoyed hearing about when Paul was living with them.  There was a lot of interesting and lively conversation shared over a delicious meal!

Friday was another very early wake-up call.   We left the hotel at 5:00 a.m. for the 2 hour return drive to Ollantaytambo.  There we got on the train to Aquas Calientes,

where we met our guide and boarded a bus for the ride up the mountain to Macchu Picchu.  The bus ride is a bit harrowing -- a 30 minute ride up the mountain on a road full of switchbacks with a steep dropoff on one side. The road is just wide enough to acommodate 2 buses; the bus drivers go up and down the road all day and are very confident, but it can be a bit unnerving for passengers as the buses pass within a few inches of each other!

Entrance to Macchu Picchu is limited and there are 4 different tour routes with timed entries so there was a bit of pressure to make all the connections.  (When Melissa started planning our trip in September this was the only day we could get tickets).  

Machu Picchu is often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas" and is an iconic symbol of Incan civilization and a major archeological site. Modern radiocarbon dating places its occupation between 1420 and 1530. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and named one of the Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

As we toured the site, we learned about the history and the culture of the Inca people.  Because they had no written language, much of what is believed about the site is conjecture.

"Temple of the Condor" is a unique structure where a large carved stone forms the head and body and 2 massive flanking rocks create the wings of the condor, which is considered a divine messenger in Inca cosmology.

Machu Picchu is set among the impressive mountains of the Vilcabamba Range. For hundreds of years the inhabitants of the Andes have revered the mountains as the protectors of their villages and towns, and the providers of the life-giving element, water. They have prayed to the mountains for the fertility of their animals, protection of their communities and abundant harvests.

Because we asked quite a few questions during the tour, our guide suggest we visit the museum at the bottom of the hill.  She told us when we boarded the bus to return to town we should tell the bus driver we wanted to go to the museum and he would drop us off at the end of the dirt road.  We could walk to the museum and then into town. 

As we walked from the paved road to the museum we passed this map showing the route for hikers and the road that the buses take up the mountain.

The museum is small, but very well done.  We learned more about the site with detailed displays in Spanish and English

as well as viewing some of the artifacts that have been found by archeologists studying the site. The museum is the best kept secret  in Macchu Picchu!!  Entrance is free with your ticket to the archeological site.

After exploring the museum we walked a couple miles back to town

where we had a late lunch and wandered around until it was time to take the train back to Ollentaytambo. We enjoyed a magnificent sunset from the train.