Nathan's Insights

World Traveller: 7 Continents, 90 Countries, 871 Days Overseas


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Flight Reviews | Lounge Reviews | Destinations | Short Breaks | World Trip 1986 | World Trip 1998 | World Trip 1999-2000 | World Trip 2006 | World Trip 2009 | World Trip 2009-10 | World Trip 2010 | World Trip 2011 | World Trip 2012-13 | World Trip 2015 | World Trip 2016 | World Trip 2017 | World Trip 2017-18 | World Trip 2018 | World Trip 2019 | Australia 2022 | World Trip 2023 | World Trip 2024 | World Trip 2024-25 | World Trip 2026-27

  • Short Trip 2015: Day 3 – Adelaide, South Australia

    Photos

    So today was the last day of my short trip to Adelaide.  It started out with disappointment as the catch up with a friend that we had prearranged was cancelled at the last minute.  This was my fault for not communicating better and taking things for granted 🙁.  It was a shame as I was really looking forward to the day has planned.

    This meant I got to spend more time with my brother talking about his travel plans to USA & Canada in 2017 in particular a train trip across Canada that made me slightly jealous.  We walked back into the CBD and found Adelaide strangely quiet for 10 am on a Sunday.  People didn’t really start coming out until 11 and noon, the weather was fantastic.  There was also a Christmas feel to the retail district which reminded me to start thinking about gifts for family and friends to keep the capitalist system going, I suppose that’s a good thing 🤔

    We returned to the Adelaide Casino for a longer stay and play this time.  Playing the gaming machines in Adelaide is a little different then Melbourne as you need to purchase credits on a card instead of just feeding money straight into the machine (you can put coins directly in).  I expected this would reduce gambling loses as it gets people to move away from the machine to spend more money.

    The taxi ride to the airport had a very happy driver who told us about all the visitors for the Test Match and how great business has been since Thursday.  Reagan suggested that we return next year and we stay an extra day going to the cricket on days 1 & 3 and to the horse races on the Saturday (day 2).  I am tempted but it depends on the opponent and dates.  I definitely want to see an AFL match at the Adelaide Oval in 2016.

    At the airport, past the security checks, there was a Aboriginal performance at Gate 22.  Mostly dancing with some music and a huge crowd of happy travellers.  There was also a number of Japenese female students who were very excited by the performance getting selfies with the indegenious performers.

      Other than this at the airport it was mostly time spent in the QANTAS lounge watching the cricket, enjoying the free food and drinks as we waited for our flight back to Melbourne with the flight itself being uneventful.  I will say the weather in Melbourne was colder than Adelaide and it was a shame we had to leave on the best weather day.

    Overall an enjoyable visit to Adelaide for this historic match.  It was a shame that my original plans for the Sunday didn’t occur.  I should have had a backup to see more of this beautiful town to make the most of this short visit or better yet not take a friend for granted.  

    Maybe I’ll be back next year.

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  • Short Trip 2015: Day 2 – Adelaide, South Australia

    Photos

    After a good nights sleep at the Sage Adelaide Hotel (formerly Chifley Hotel) I set out to explore the city before the Test Match resumed.  There was a march against Domestic Violence in Victoria Square, much more civilised then the recent ‘Reclaim Australia’ / Anti Immigration or Pro Immigration rallies recently in Melbourne.  Definitely somthing to get behind, it starts with us all taking responsibility and needs to include police and court support to the victims.

      

    March against domestic violence
     I spent a bit of time walking around the city shops, it’s definitely Christmas with all the trees up and the carols in the stores.  My youngest niece Erin had a birthday today back home and I gave her a call to say happy birthday.  Erin was very excited by her sleepover party with friends today.  It’s hard to believe that she is already 9 years old.  I still get the’Uncle Nathan’ shouts and hugs but not always or as enthusiastic as they once were.  Still hopefully a few more years of ten pin bowling and taking her to a kids movie, just for her mind you not so can sing along like with the Lego Movie 🙂

    I meet up with Reagan at a local Tab were he had been successfull backing a few winners.  From here it was a short stroll to the Adelaide Oval once again via the Casino / Central Train Station.  The sun shining down and walking with the happy cricket fellowers makes you realise they is life outside of the 9-5 office politics we all get caught up with.  New seats today, still on the Southern Stand end but this time to the left of the wicket and a little closer to the action.

    The day at the cricet was great, with the match turning several times.  New Zealand really got on top in the first session taking 8 wickets.  It looked like New Zealand would expand their 8 series unbeaten run going.  Then we got to the controversy of the match, probably the series if not the summer.  Nathan Lyon, batting at 10 due to Mitchell Starc’s injury, was given not out to hitting the ball onto his shoulder and then being caught.  New Zealand went for a review of the decision.  While watching the replays on the screen a small ‘hot shot’ was seen on the bat and Lyon started walking off, however the mike didn’t pick up any impact and after a very long 5 minutes he was given not out, or another more accurate decription was the original decision wasn’t overturned.

    This proved to be critical to the match as Lyon and Peter Nevill took the score from 8-119 when Lyon was given not out to 190 and later Nevill and Mitchel Starc added another 34 to end the innings at 224 and a lead of 22 runs when in reality Australia should have been behind and in all kinds of trouble.

    The final night session started with New Zealand fighting back well before Australia chipped away 5 wickets in the session.  New Zealand leads by 94 runs with three days to go.  The match could easily be over tomorrow and either team could win this seesawing match.  A large number of ther crowd stayed to the end, the walk back to the hotel took longer due to the congestion of fans near the stadium.

     

    Night Session Day 2 AUS V NZ
     This had been a great two days at the cricket with Adelaide turning on the charm. 

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  • Short Trip 2015: Day 1 – Adelaide, South Australia

    Photos

    So it was off to Adelaide to experience the first ever day-night Cricket  Test Match, Australia vs New Zealand the third and final match of the series with Australia leading 1-0.  Test cricket is a passion of mine, in fact  it’s on my bucket list to see Australia play in six countries and I’m at three so far and I’m playing to add to that number next year when I visit Sri Lanka.

    But I’ve also wanted to see the upgraded Adelaide Oval watching with envy at the football and cricket matches over the past 18 months as the locals filled the stadium and were so loud it could be hard to hear the announcers.  So it was a three day trip planned with my brother Reagan.

    The day started with an early morning flight from Melbourne after an hour eating breakfast in the QANTAS lounge.  The plane was totally full despite being 9 am after normal flight time for business people, this was a sign there would be lots of people flying in for the match.

    A quick an cheap ($28.00) taxi trip from the airport to our hotel found a lot of people waiting to check in early.  As it was too early to get a room most people, including my brother Reagan, left their bags with security.  Walking though the city it was obvious that cricket was in town and so where a lot of visitors to enjoy the event.  The Adelaide Casino was on the way so a very quick (and unsuccessful visit) was called for.

    The walk to the ground from the Casino to the Adelaide Oval was spectacular, walking over a river via bridge, the sun shining, people excited, the atmosphere was special indeed.  The studium itself is very modern and a definite improvement, I always liked the Adelaide Oval so I was worried that the upgrade would lose it’s unique character and would just be another generic mega stadium, I need not have been concerned.

     The seats were at the southern or city end behind the bowlers arm, a little to the right but close enough to seen the pink ball swing around.   The day was a really enjoyable experience, over 47,000 people having fun at the cricket.  There was a sober moment at 4.08 pm as a short video remembered Philip Hughes who died when playing a year ago with 408 being Philip’s Australian Test Playing Number.

    Australia bowled well during the day to bowl New Zealand out for a low 202 but Mitchell Starc got injured meaning we would be a bowler down for the rest of the match.  Australia got to bat in the twilight / evening but unfortunately that was too much for David Warner.  It was great seeing cricket in front of so many people, with a magnificent sunset and an easy to see cricket ball.  I think this is the future of cricket.

      After a long day and a 40 minute walk we got back to the hotel around 10.30 pm and it was time to charge the Apple devices, settle in and look forward to tomorrow’s second day.

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  • 365 World Tour

    So Intrepid Travel just released a 365 days around the world tour!!

    Obviously this would just be piecing together several, well many, of their different trips together but wow that’s crazy. You only need around $108,000 AUD ($75k USD) and an entire year off from work or study.

    I wonder what kind of relationship you would have with fellow travellers after a year on the road together?  The longest tour I’ve ever been with ‘strangers’ in the same tour group was around 56 days during my Mexico and Central America Tour (15/12/2012 to 10/2/2013). Personally I got on well with the 7 people who did the entire 4 tours combined but a year would be whole different matter. I’ve also seen people causing each other major grief after 14 days together, so much so that even a few extra days would have likely lead to emotional and physical breakdowns between these travellers!

    I have been also on longer trips with a family member (Andrew 66 days 2009-2010 world trip) and a friend (Jon 121 days 1999-2000 world trip). Again this went fine but there are definitely times when you need a time out from your travelling companion.

    I’m not even sure how many people would take up this around the world package, but what an experience, outback in Africa to cold of Antarctica to Asia. I also wonder how you’d be able to return to the ‘real’ world again. It can be a struggle to go back to work after my 4+ month trips.

    I guess it must be nice to even have this as a travel option.

  • Constant  evolution

    Forget the past. Tomorrow is a new day. New day, new hopes and new life.
    Lailah Gifty Akita

    Life is always in consistent motion.  Sometimes we don’t see that or don’t want to see that but it is true nonetheless.  My life is at a major turning point, I believe for the better but I guess change is really about how you tackle it and what you do with it.

    Some of the major changes and upheavals include;

    1. My sister Lana and brother-in-law Steve are likely to divorce.
    2. My nephew Andrew is engaged to his girlfriend the beautiful and amazing Danelle.
    3. A treasured friend has taken a sabbatical from her office job to start a small business selling healthy juice style drinks.
    4. I’m in the early stages of a new relationship with a lovely lady who lives in Adelaide.
    5. I’m changing jobs leaving a topic and division that I have specialised in for 12 years to take up a specialist marketing role.
    6. I’m selling my investment property in Queensland.

    These events have all happened very unexpectedly in the past 6-8 weeks.  Some good, some scary and some sad.

    I feel a since of optimism about the future, the unexplored country, the unexpected turns.  I sense real prolonged happiness is there for the taking if I’m willing to take some chances, some risks, if I’m willing to evolve with the situation.

     

    The uncertain and exciting path forward

     

  • Destination: Scotland


    Established: 9th Century
    Population: 5.3 million (as at 2013)
    Religion: Church of Scotland
    Language: English, Scottish Gaelic
    Capital: Edinburgh
    Order of Visit: Fourth
    First Visit: 9 February 2000
    Last Visit: 14 February 2000
    Duration: 6 Days
    Must Do: Walk to Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews, Walk the Golden Mile
    Cities: Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, Stirling

    (more…)

  • Destination: England

    Established: 5th-6th Century (Anglo-Saxon settlement)
    Population: 53 million (as at 2011)
    Religion: Anglican
    Capital: London
    Order of Visit: Third
    First Visit: 11 November 1999
    Last Visit: 21 January 2010
    Duration: 31 Days
    Must Do: Experience a Shakespeare play in his home country, Stonehenge, Parliament at Westminister, Old Royal College (Greenwich), Cambridge Universities and a West End show.
    Cities: Brighton, Cambridge, Carlisle, Chester, Durham, Greenwich, Hampton, Lincoln, London, Oxford, Shrewsbury, Stonehenge, Stratford-upon-Avon, York, Wimbledon, Windsor.

    The mother country to my home in Australia, England has had a strong influence on the country of my birth.  My forebearers were likely sent to Australia has convicts or thrown out for being Catholics, it’s hard to be certain.

    Australians all know about England, how our Government system is based on the Westminister system of Parliament.  How up until late 1980s the English Privy Council sat higher than our High Court on legal matters and to this day English citizens who moved to Australia before a certain date get to vote in Australian elections without being Australia citizens.

    This is the country that stood up to Nazi Party and has a result London had to survive the air blitz.  You can feel the history by visiting the War Cabinet.  This is a country with a strong Upper class and an elite schooling system and with a counter struggling lower class.  The divide is breathtaking at times when you see the glamour and power of the elite next to the struggle of the common people.

    England is an amazing place that must be visited.  This is the home of Shakespeare and seeing one of his plays here is a must.  But if you don’t fancy old plays then try the new in the West End district, probably second only to New York for live performances.

    If you want history than you can’t miss it here.  It feels like every street has a blue plague explaining something amazing.  Cathedrals seem to be everywhere and even the smallest village has this 500 year old+ churches.

    In London you can spent a month doing informative and usually fun Walking Tours of every type.  I strongly recommend these tours as you find back streets and quiet areas with fascinating histories.

    The English are generally polite, I recall lining up for a few hours to get into Wimbelon Tennis Championships and it was actually a fun experience with great characters in the lines, no pushing or cutting.  And when I got inside it was very proper indeed.

    England is also the home of cricket, one of my passions in life.  I couldn’t miss a visit to Lords to view the actual Ashes that despite Australia winning most of the time they won’t hand over.  My high school has some history with the Ashes Urn as well being the stated birthplace of the Ashes.  For me watching cricket was a must do but despite seeing local teams I still have to come back one day and view an actual Test Match preferable Australia beating England.

  • Movie Review – Spy (2015)

      
    Released: June 2015

    Seen: June 2015

    Cinema: Kino Cinemas (normal screen)

    Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney, Jude Law

    Gene: Comedy / Action

    Rating: 7.5 / 10

    Synopsis
    A desk-bound CIA analyst volunteers to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent diabolical global disaster.

    Review (warning spoilers)

    A great spy comedy from one of the better comedians in Melissa McCarthy this movie gets the balance right between a spy action movie and a comedy.  These days comedies are so over the top in action movies to actually just be weak parodies.

    Serious spy movies are really made for laughs, the hero gets caught and the villian just leaves him tied up after explaining the plan or the muscle bound hero scaling a moving 747 airplane!  You don’t need to go very crazy to make a good comedy of the action gene, just keep it a little grounded.

    This movie succeeds and it keeps you guessing who is double crossing who.  Melissa McCarthy’s character Susan Cooper has the skills to be a field operative but hasn’t made that step up instead being the unappreciated coordinator of the mission back at a head office that is falling apart while the field operative gets all the James Bond gadgets.  The apparent death of her agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law) sets Susan out into the field with hilarious consequences.

    The over the top super serious good guy Rick Ford (Jason Statham) plays well with the unsure of herself Susan who keeps saving the day.

    Recommendation:If you like like spy movies with a bit of fun see this movie.

  • Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam Bound (2016) 

    So it’s time to start thinking more about my next trip as its now less than 12 months out.  I’m going to combine a bucket list item (no. 28 see Test Cricket in six countries) with a trip to Sri Lanka and then a tour covering more of South East Asia.

    I still don’t know the exact dates for the Australian Test tour other then it’s July to August.  For this reason I’m going with a more personalised tour company, On the Go Tours, which will commence the day I select.  I’m looking at their 9 day Go Sri Lanka tour which includes a visit to Dambulla Rock Temple, Udawalawe National Park, and an Elephant Orphanage.

    Then I’ll move onto a G Adventures tour the Indochina Explorer which commences in Thailand (Bangkok), goes onto Laos (Luang Prabang), than Vietnam (Hanoi) followed by Cambodia (Phnom Penh) with lots of other cities visited in between on this 18 day trip.  I’m probably most looking forward to visiting The Angkor Wat temple but experiencing Laos and Cambodia should be amazing.

    Dambulla Rock Temple, Sri Lanka

  • Professional Presenting

    One of the interesting changes of my professional life is the rather large role presenting to the superannuation industry now plays.

    I recall a time when I wasn’t trusted to present, not that I didn’t have the knowledge, but because I just answered questions without filters, in particular admitting mistakes and my organisations thought process in decisions.

      Now I’m authorised to speak at National Conferences and directly to journalists and regularly present at State level events with hundreds of attendees and write a substantial part of presentations for more senior leaders.  Times change, trust is built and speaking with honesty creates a positive reputation that makes you more in demand.

    Now I’m booked to speak at the Gold Coast for a Television Education Network event early September and a series of SMSF Adviser events on East Coast of Australia in November .  Both heavily promoted and costing reasonable amount of money to attend.  

    To think back of the frustrations on being trusted to communicate to lawyers and accountants to the fulfilling role I have today. Being patient and honest (with limits) pays off, in the end just be yourself and if you have value your skills will be used.