Post #183 31 October 2018

Gentlefolk,

This post describes some of our activities during October 2018 (following our return from Bali).

After 3 weeks in beautiful Bali, it was back to reality: rain, wind and cold on arrival in Sydney on Saturday morning 6 October.  Bus to Canberra where the weather was, surprisingly, better than Sydney.

As always, many international events during October - the following caught my eye:

• October was a very volatile month on Wall Street and other stock exchanges around the world;
• The legalisation by Canada of the recreational use of marijuana;
• Venerable old US retailer Sears filed for bankruptcy;
• The opening of the Hong Kong - Zuhai - Macao bridge, 55 km long (including a 6.7km tunnel), cost $28 billion, an engineering marvel;
• Coming 4th in the Mexican Grand Prix was enough for Lewis Hamilton to win his Fifth Formula 1 driver's championship - a remarkable record - only Michael Schumacker has won more (7).

On 20 October a by-election was held for the seat of Wentworth in Sydney; the winner was Dr Kerryn Phelps, an Independent, with an extraordinary swing of 19% against the Liberal (conservative) Party.  The Morrison Government has now lost its majority in the House of Representatives and governs with the support of the 'cross benches' which will make the next few months interesting.

Here are photos of activities in which we were involved in October:

On 9 October I attended a panel discussion on "Update Iran" held at the ANU.  The economic situation in Iran has deteriorated since our visit in April and I feel for the ordinary people. Afterwards we had dinner with Rawee who was also on the tour of Iran and is doing a PhD at the ANU.

Coffee art!!! Don't you love it when the waiters make a special effort?

We caught the end of Floriade, Canberra's annual Spring Flower Show (usually held mid-Set to mid-Oct).  Another wonderful display of flowers, mainly beautiful tulips - see also photos below.

There was entertainment at Floriade too, like this "giant" with his monster-camera. A crowd favorite.

Singer Kim Yang, one of the musicians who entertained the crowd at Florida.

Don't you love to see a family band?  This was the String Family (www.stringfamily.com.au); two cellos and two violins. Father Joel, mother Sarah, son Heath (16) and daughter Ashleigh (14).  They played mainly Irish music - lively and entertaining.

Vera and others watching the band performance. It was actually a fairly cool day, hence the jacket.

A fun activity for kids.

We belong to the Canberra Old Time Dance Club; New Vogue or Sequence dancing.  Good fun.

An interesting lecture at the Australian Institute of International Affairs on the current situation in Thailand.

Lunch on 18 October with friends, from left: Yvonne O'Callaghan, Kerry Dyson, me, Vera, Jim O'Callaghan, and Brendan Dyson.  It happened to be our 45th wedding anniversary. I am holding a photo of Vera & me taken in 1973.

I'm hopeless in the kitchen (blessed with so many wonderful cooks in my life), but it's time I learnt a few basic dishes - the photo is evidence of my new endeavor, serious business. But can an old dog learn new tricks ...?

Paul and Niniek Milton came up from Sydney for a weekend, to see Vera before her operation.  Paul and I had a game of golf at Capital Golf Club, my first game in 6 months because of my knee. Great to get on a course again.

Later Paul and I visited the Australian War Memorial which had a special display of 62,000 hand-made poppies to commemorate Aussie casualties in World War One (to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of WW1).

Paul and I witnessed the "Last Post" ceremony which is held at the closing of the War Memorial every evening at 5pm.

We had breakfast at the Fyshwick Markets; from left: Paul Milton, Heath McMichael, Niniek Milton, Vera, Reno McMichael, me.  We are all Old Indonesia Hands (with the emphasis on Old).

Paul Milton and Heath McMichael at Fyshwick Markets.  Heath works for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; he is fluent in Bahasa Indonesia  and has spent many years in Indonesia.

Met old friends at Fyshwick Markets: Antony and Kham with their two kids Thalia and Ashton. Kham and Vera worked together at People Bank and Kham now runs her own IT recruitment company. We attended their wedding in Sydney (in St Mary's Cathedral) many moons ago.

The Australia Indonesia Families Association (AIFA) invited a speaker from Beyond Blue to give a talk during Mental Health week; the speaker was Andrew Geraghty who kept us all spell-bound; followed by lunch of Indonesian food - delicious!

A photo of some of the attendees at the AIFA lunch.

On 21 October together with Sharon and Ian Loiterton I attended the launch of Fiona Patten's book "Sex, drugs and the Electoral Roll". She has had a most unusual life. Grew up in Canberra, got involved looking after the welfare of sex workers (later worked in that profession for two years), then 4 years ago as a candidate for The Sex Party was elected to the Legislative Council of Victoria (The Sex Party recently changed its name to The Reason Party).

Fiona Patten was interviewed by local personality Michael Moore. She came across as a thoughtful and grounded person ("I am serious, but don't take myself too seriously"). A most entertaining hour spent listening to these two clever individuals express their views on Australian society and politics. When you first hear of Fiona you think she must be a bit of a dodo, but she is actually very sensible. The next Victorian State elections are in 3 weeks - hope she is returned.

Fiona Patten with Ian Loiterton after the launch.  Ian was her Science Master at Canberra High School back in 1979.

The nursing staff of Canberra Private Hospital discussing Vera's recovery after her operation. They looked after her very well - must say, we are lucky to have such good post-op care in Australia.

Our son and his family were visiting friends at the South Coast and popped in for a night to see how Vera is recovering.  Jay-Jay was in Bali with us just 3 weeks ago, but I swear she has changed even in that short time. So cute. 

Jen, Caz, Andrew, Little Eddie and Jay-Jay (obscured) looking at an old photo-album. The kids were intrigued to see images of their father as a young boy.

The ACT Government sponsored a number of "sculptures" along the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. Some interesting works of art.
Spring has sprung - we've had gorgeous weather for the past week or two; warm days, cool nights.

A close-up of this 'man' figure, made completely of rubbish.

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The main event in our personal lives during October was Vera's operation on 24 October; she was in hospital for 3 nights and is making a good recovery. Jennifer flew down from Brisbane and provided great support.

On 9 October we got what turned out to be a scam call.  The lady said she was from Telstra (our internet provider) and that our computer had been hacked; she then passed us to the technical department for rectification.  They were very plausible and it took us some time to terminate the call. We called Telstra and they confirmed that it was a scam; then we had to clean up our computer.  Annoying, but also a good lesson to be super-careful with unsolicited offers of help!

Another highlight was seeing (twice!) the movie "Ladies in Black", set in Sydney in 1959. A fine film; brought back many memories of growing up.

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All eyes will be on the USA mid-term elections on Tuesday 6 November (Wednesday in Australia).  Can the Democratic Party take the House of Representatives? What will happen in the Senate? On the back of a strong economy, the world's greatest showman, Donald Trump, is conducting a very effective fear campaign based on Immigration which, if recent experience in Australia is any indication, will resonate with many people. Tuesday will be fascinating.

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That's it, until we meet again.

Best wishes, stay well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
Canberra, Australia
Wednesday 31 October 2018

Post #182 12 October 2018

Gentlefolk,

This post describes our holiday in Bali, 17 September to 5 October 2018.

To celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary (actually on 18 October 2018) we invited Jen & Andrew and their families to join us for a holiday in Bali.

Vera and I had a week there by ourselves (stayed in Tuban, Canggu, and Legian) before moving to Jimbaran when the horde arrived.

Vera grew up in Bali and I first went there in 1972.  It was a veritable tropical paradise then: hardly any tourists, the local people still lived in their traditional ways, and the Balinese culture was dominant. It is very different these days, with lots of foreign tourists (8+m last year) and many Indonesians from other islands seeking better lives; the traffic is often horrendous.  But despite all that, Bali remains a special place.

On Sunday 16 September 2018 Vera & I flew from Sydney to Bali on Qantas QF43.  The flight left on time at 4.40pm, and arrived in Bali six hours later (at 9pm local time). We stayed at the Aston Hotel, Tuban, just 10 minutes from the airport.

Staying in Tuban, Canggu and Legian

Map of Bali island.

Map showing the main tourist areas in Bali.

The following afternoon we went back to the Airport to pick up Andrew, Eddie and Jay.  There were some issues at the factory in Java so Caroline had gone ahead.  Andrew & kids stayed one night at the Aston Hotel and then flew to Semarang (and they all returned to Bali a week later for the family holiday). This photo shows the many travel representatives (holding name plates) waiting to pick visitors up at the airport and take them to hotels. More than 8 million visitors come to Bali every year.

Vera with Fast Eddie at the Aston Hotel.

Jay-Jay looking somewhat bewildered at the Aston Hotel.  These two kids sure get around.

This hotel has a "welcome party" of statues.  The Balinese are very talented artists: carving, painting, music, dance, they are multi-talented.

A painting of two young Balinese girls in traditional dress.

After Andrew's departure we moved to Canggu for 3 nights.  It is a relatively new area, out past Seminyak. Our first time to stay in that area. Lots of new villas and hotels under construction; the traffic can be horrendous but wasn't too bad when we were there. Still pretty "grass roots" but that probably won't last long.

Balinese follow the Hindu religion and have many gods, like this (unusual) one riding an elephant with fish body. 

At Canggu we stayed at "My Villas"; three comfortable units around a pool, with a shared kitchen/dining area. The two  beaches near us were Batu Bolong and Echo Beach, both popular surfing spots.

Bali now has several "beach clubs" like this one, La Brisa, at Echo Beach, Canggu.

Canggu is a popular surfing area.  Here two Asian girls were having a "learn to surf" class on Batu Bolong beach.

A couple of local girls (probably visitors from Jakarta) on Batu Bolong beach.

An early morning "boot camp" exercise class on the beach at Canggu.

Some districts, like Canggu, forbid the use of Uber and Grab - they want people to use local transportation.

Balinese are great carvers - wood and stone - as shown on this intricate door.

A stone statue.

Traditional entrance gate into a Balinese temple. You see temples everywhere on Bali.

A traditional Balinese fishing boat; I was surprised at the name - "Black Caviar" - after the famous Australian race horse. Weird?

Only A$5 a day to rent a motor scooter - so cheap!  - undoubtedly the best way to get around and why so many foreigners use them.  You are supposed to get a local licence (A$20 for 3 weeks) but few people bother, which can be costly if they are involved in an accident.

After 3 days at Canggu we moved to the Zest Hotel at Legian (near Jalan Double Six).  The rooms were small and noisy - make sure you get one at the back.  It had a nice pool on the roof, but no shade so too hot to sit here during the day. This photo is looking West, you can see the ocean in the distance (beautiful sunsets).

The view looking North from the top of the Zest Hotel. Fortunately there is a height limit (top of trees) so this area had no very tall high-rise buildings.

The restaurant across the road from the Zest Hotel featured an entertaining "Drag Queen Show" every night - transvestites miming songs and dancing to the music. Seemed popular with tourists, full every night.

One day Vera's brother and his wife (Andrew & Iis) took us to Klungkung, a city about 50 km from Legian on the foothills of Mount Agung.  This is where Vera grew up (her father established the hospital here), before the family moved to Bandung in 1969. We had lunch  at Warung Jumpung.  The photo shows the restaurant owner at left, then Vera, Andre and Iis.

The owner of Wanung Jumput has an extensive collection of motor-bikes, from UK, USA and Russia. When we asked why he hadn't married, he said he was married to his bikes!

A typical Indonesian dish: fried chicken, chicken sate, rice and beans. Delicious!

We usually went to the beach to watch the sunset and have a beer.  Always lots going on.

Watching the sunset on the beach with Vera's brother Andre and his wife Iis. They live in Bandung but come to Bali quite often.

One evening this group of Hari Krishna followers came by, about 20 women and 10 men, playing music, chanting and dancing.  They used to be a fairly common sight in Australia 30 years ago, but don't see them much these days (maybe they've all come up to Bali???).

Staying in Jimbaran

Once Jen & Tom & Kurt, Nate & Sid arrived, and Caroline and Andrew & Eddie and Jay-Jay there were eleven of us, so we rented a Villa called "The Sea Shanty" in Jimbaran.  It was a lovely large house, 5 minutes walk to the beach, with 4 bedrooms, a large common area, a garden and a lovely pool.  

The entry area of the Villa.

The kids all enjoyed the swimming pool (with child-proof fence).  

The Villa had a nice garden.

Andrew and Kurt swinging Eddie; Jay looking on in wonder.

Vera & me in the garden.

A photo of the whole family, from left: Kurt (13), Jen, Caroline holding Jay-Jay (18 months), Vera, me, Nate (11), Tom, Sid (9), and Andrew  with Eddie (4) on his shoulders.

The common area of the Villa, with sofas, then dining table, and kitchen.

The Villa managers, Lina and her husband Supri (originally from Bandung in West Java)  They made us feel very welcome.  Lina turned out to be a marvelous cook, so we ate many meals at home (mainly Indonesian food).

The beach at Jimbaran. The Villa was at the Southern end of the beach.  Shallow, small waves.

The seafood restaurants on Jimbaran Beach are famous.

Sunset on Jimbaran Beach.

One day we did a "Cycling Tour".  The company bus picked us up at 7am; breakfast at Kintamani; a visit to a a Coffee Luwak establishment; then a 2 hour bike ride (almost all down hill); finally lunch.  We got back to Jimbaran at 5pm.

Tom pointing to Mt Agung in the distance, beyond the rice paddies. Beautiful countryside!

Stunning!

The boys in front of a huge bunyan tree.

On the bike ride we passed these women who had just been to a temple festival in their village. Balinese women normally carry things on their heads.

Staying at Nusa Lembongan

After a week at Jimbaran we went to a small island called Nusa Lembongan, about 19 km from Sanur.  We hadn't been there before, but heard that it had good surfing (for the boys).

Here we are getting on our boat - calm sea - the journey only took about 30 minutes. But on the return trip four days later we hit some big ocean swells - a much more exciting / worrying return trip!

In Nusa Lembongan we  rented a Villa called "Rumah Kayu"; right on the water at Tamarind Beach, four bedrooms, a big garden, and a swimming pool. This is a view of the main bungalow (from the garden), with the common area in front and bedrooms on either side.

The swimming pool got a lot of use. Eddie's confidence in the water really improved; Jay loved it too.  Note the home-made (of bamboo) child-proof fence around the pool.

The garden was large enough for a game of cricket!

The Villa was situated on a small beach; the rocks were exposed at low tide.  We hired surf boards - there was a small break about 200m to the left of this photo (Playground), with a better break about 400m to the right (Lacerations).

On a clear day you could see right across to Mount Agung, Bali's highest volcano, and incredible sight. Vera grew up in a town called Klungkung, situated at the base of Mt Agung.  This photo was taken near the swimming pool of the Villa.

A blow-hole; impressive.

One afternoon we hired a boat which took us snorkeling.  We found, and swam with, some huge Manta Rays - exciting!  Then snorkeled at Crystal Bay and finally at Mangroves.  Lots of colorful fish, all shapes and sizes.  Good fun.

Manta Rays are an amazing sight.

Family photo on Main Beach where we had dinner one night.

Family photo in the garden of the Villa, from left: Kurt, Jen, me, Sid, Andrew holding Jay, Vera, Eddie, and Nate (Caz took the photo).

Vera & me: 45 years of bliss!

The Brisbane mob ...

... and the Sydney mob.

Jay-Jay enjoying chicken satay; she loves eating!

Jen & Caz getting pedicures ....

... while Tom got a massage.

I  came across this procession - four local people had died and were being cremated.  Huge crowd, it seemed as if the whole town had turned out. The Balinese are Hindus and this is part of their culture.

The burnt remains of the cremations.

After four great days in Nusa Lembongan we caught a boat back to Sanur (hit some big swells along the way).  That afternoon we stayed at Febri's Hotel, Tuban, and at night caught our flights back to Australia.

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So ended a memorable holiday in Bali.

One of the highlights for Vera and me was to see how the boys all love music and dancing (definitely an Olah-ism).  Their song-of-choice was "Shotgun" by George Ezra and we soon got to know the chorus:

I'll be riding shotgun
Underneath the hot sun
Feeling like a someone.

It's a catchy tune - you can't get it out of your mind!!!
(It has been listened to more than 81 million times on YouTube - amazing).

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I read three novels during our time in Bali:

Jeffrey Archer's "The Prodigal Daughter" (about Florentyna Rosnovski / Kane who became America's first female President)

John O'Farrell's "The Best a Man Can Get" (about the challenges of father-hood)

P D James' "The Skull Beneath the Waves" (a Cordelia Gray detective story)

Archer is a master story-teller, but I think James is a better writer.

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Some sporting events of note:

On 17 September in the Berlin Marathon, 33 year old Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge set a new world record of 2 hours 1 minute and 39 seconds.  Incredible; he shaved 78 seconds off the previous WR. We are getting very close to the two-hour mark!

In the AFL (Aussie Rules) Grand Final, West Coast Eagles 79 beat Collingwood Magpies 75.

In the NRL (Rugby League) Grand Final, Sydney Roosters 21 beat Melbourne Storm 6.

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After Canberra's winter, it was so nice living in shorts and T-shirt for 3 weeks; but arriving in Sydney brought us back to earth: it was a wet, windy and cold day! A cold front reminded us that Old Man Winter is still lurking around.

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Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Alex Olah and Vera Olah
Canberra, Australia
Friday 12 October 2018.