A Winter Holiday in Queensland Australia: May 2011

In early May we packed out bags and headed across the ditch for a well needed break. It was time to relax, enjoy some big country and to visit family. Here are a few pictures you'll enjoy.

Bush wagon. Every Croc Dundee needs one!

Blowing the froth of a couple in front of the fire. Queensland bush, Australia

The Australian alps. Queensland, Australia, May 11

A bit of Queensland paradise. Looks like a nice spot to hang your hat!

There are a lot of sharks in Australia. Some of them the fish type too!

Surfers Paradise beach. Early morning stroll.

The beautiful Pelican

There is a shortage of material in Australia as evidenced by Life saver budgie smugglers and tight rugby league shorts.

Fun park gold.

Thinning out the Kangaroo population a bit. Doing ones duty.

Bush gold being delivered. Important to get it there safely!

Miles and miles of cotton. Darlby, Queensland, Australia

There are Indians in Them There Hills: India

Markets in New Delhi, India, May 2011

I had never had an urge to travel to India of my own accord. I have travelled most of the world with the Army or backpacking but never to India. I'm not really sure why either. Perhaps because I lacked any real knowledge or understanding of the country or its history. Sure I knew it was big and growing and I'd eaten a bit of their food but to actually go there? It just wasn't on the bucket list. So when the need for me to visit on business arose I wasn't overly excited.

It seems like months ago but it has only been eight days since I left the cold and earthquakes of Christchurch bound for Calcutta. I knew nothing of what to expect except that I should keep an eye out for a black hole as per the saying. It has been a week of travel, of learning about the culture and attitudes, of immersing myself into business life and getting to know some fantastic people. The colours, the smells, the mid 40's heat (that just knocks you over when you walk outside) and the sheer number of people has taken some time to wrap my head around.

Close shave. Downtown Calcutta, India, May 2011

There is a real thirst for knowledge and better ways of doing things. Thirty percent business growth year on year and the constant problem of having too many opportunities are the issues most company owners face whilst for the vast majority of Indians the daily grind of just getting by is a full time focus. It is a country of many contrasts, of huge wealth and massive poverty, of dodgy food, of manic traffic (hanging on the horn is standard), of friendly people and of cricket fanatics. It is a country where it is OK, in fact compulsory, to stare at the unusual (I must be unusual).

The energy and economic grunt that 1.2 billion people and a nuclear arsenal creates is quite infectious. In fact coming from the depression in New Zealand and life in a battered city it has been like getting a shot of energy. It has been a breath of fresh air to visit.

Gotta say I loved the place.

Australia: A World Full of Smugglers.....Budgie Smugglers!

Fabric to burn: The Mark 1 Ball hugging Budgie Smuggler

Why do lifeguards in Australia wear such tight speedos as they suck their guts in and run along the beach? It’ll be the same reason Aussie league players have to use a shoehorn to wedge into their playing shorts I suppose! It would seem a set of tight "Budgie Smugglers" are one of the first gifts left under the Christmas tree over here for our ANZAC brothers.

Cringe factor aside it has been a great week relaxing on the Gold Coast of Australia. No earthquakes, good weather, nice beach, good food, reading lots, fine wine, nice digs and doing the fun park thing!

No complaints about the locals either. Australia has been a welcoming place and one that oozes growth and success. It is kind of nice after a prolonged period of drama and destruction in Canterbury with winter looming. A glance at the news and you find Australia has big plans and gets on with it and that is kind of nice.

Its not home though is it!

Bin Laden......And the Drones Drone On!

There is no doubting that Osama Bin laden was a prize jerk. He was a fanatic and a trouble maker and he was responsible in many ways for the death and suffering of many people all in the name of his own beliefs. This week he got what he had dished out to so many people in spades and it is fair to say it has caused a bit of grief.

The US SEAL's  slipping into Pakistan in the early hours of the morning below the radar (and without permission) aside, the main concern has been around whether he should have been taken alive and if it was legal to shoot him. Lets face a couple of things. He was a bad man. It is not like he threw himself into a series of counseling sessions after the 3000 people were killed on September 11 in the USA. He continued to lead a terrorist organisation that continued to kill innocent people.

Then there is the fact that the military do kill people. In war soldiers are sent to do nasty things and sometimes people get killed. Even better when people who badly need it get killed. Don't get me wrong here because I am an advocate of the Geneva convention and treating people fairly but I also know that those SEAL's on the ground will have warned him and reacted in a split second. We are now hearing that Mr Laden bolted to try and get his pistol & AK47. I'm sure numerous stories and variations will come out over the years but to be honest I'm not concerned. The bad guy is dead. He played a deadly game, killed many innocent people and has made the world a more unstable, untrusting place. On top of that the cost in terms of time, dollars and lost productivity as a result of Bin Ladens actions are not measureable, they are simply astronomical.

I'm not putting the mans picture on my blog........he is not worth it!

Moving forward we can't think for a second that Bin Ladens death will really change the world of International Terrorism or make it a safer place.

I do hope however that it does act as a warning for those involved. If you sword fight with Zoro you will get cut!! Perhaps some protests, negotiating, compromising, peaceful protesting etc might be a more productive way of getting change?

Thanks to all those military types who have put it all on the line (and continue to) to keep us safer than we otherwise would be!

It has been an interesting week.