On to Sydney ...

On the morning of April 7th we turned in our rented car and boarded our flight to Sydney, Nancy’s much-anticipated destination. An airport shuttle took us to our downtown B&B in the “Rocks” area of the city, with just about a 15-minute walk from the Opera House. Walking to the box office right away to pick up our concert tickets for the next night, we learned that a few tickets had become available just that morning for “Madam Butterfly,” put on that night by the Sydney Ballet Theatre. We decided that we couldn’t pass up the opportunity, so got to see a performance in each of the separate theatres on successive nights. Weather in Sydney was absolutely gorgeous—with blue skies and temperatures in the mid to high 70’s. We visited “Government House,” used these days mostly for ceremonial purposes, walked through the Botanical Garden, and took a ferry to Manly Beach where I couldn’t resist taking off my shoes and socks and wading in the surf. A climb up inside one of the towers on the Sydney Harbor Bridge gave us perfect views of the city and the entire harbor area and proved to be one of the chief highlights of our whole trip. (And then, of course, there was the bridge at night!) We also enjoyed walking through the New South Wales Art Museum where Nancy took a fancy to a unique sculpture!

Our Australia trip concluded with an early evening flight from Sydney to the Gold Coast where we’d booked a motel close to the airport to facilitate our morning flight back to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, April 10th, just in time for Nancy to return to work on Monday morning. – rw

In Tasmania -- a land with history!

After flying on Jet Star Airlines from Melbourne to Hobart, Tasmania, we rented our second car from Avis and stayed three nights at a B&B located right at Signalman’s Point on Mt. Nelson, high above the city of Hobart. Since we had ample time to explore the city after arriving in the morning, we walked around Battery Point and Salamanca Square and wandered through a park where Ron is pictured standing by the statue of Tasmania's namesake, the explorer Abel Tasman. On our first full day in Tasmania we decided to take a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory (free samples!) on the way to Mt. Field National Park. At the park we took a 2-hour circular hike to Russell Falls, the “Tall Trees” (a giant variety of Eucalyptus called “Swamp Gum Trees,” Rainbow Falls (pix), and back to the Visitors Center. A 40-minute drive on a gravel road took us up much higher on the mountain to Lake Dobson. On a short hike around the lake instead of encountering a deer, chipmunk or squirrel, we actually saw a wombat!
On our second full day in Tasmania, April 6th, we decided to drive down the Tasman Peninsula to Port Arthur, famous as the site of a huge high security prison where repeat offenders in the U.K. were shipped by sailing vessel in the mid 1800’s to far away Tasmania. We fully expected Port Arthur be a town instead of just a historic prison site; however, no town actually exists, and we were lucky to find a single service station. The prison—long abandoned and mostly in ruins—does have a very impressive Visitors Center where one can read the stories of individual prisoners. The entrance fee includes a 45-minute guided tour and a harbor cruise. The Port Arthur Church (required attendance for all prisoners) no longer has a roof but must have been impressive in its day.



After visiting Port Arthur we stopped at a couple viewpoints in Tasman National Park on the way back to Hobart. We are both pictured standing on “The Tesselated Pavement,” a large slab of rock at water’s edge that had been scored by the elements into a unique grid formation. Also on the way back to our B&B we drove through the historic town of Richmond which has Australia’s oldest bridge, completed in 1823 by convict labor. - rw

April in Australia!

Flying out of KL on Air Asia on Thursday night, March 31st, we arrived in Melbourne in the morning of April Fool’s Day to beautiful fall weather in the “Land Down Under.” We rented a car at the airport and drove to our downtown hotel and checked-in before exploring the Botanical Garden and nearby points of interest. While I opted for a rest at the hotel, Nancy walked to the Victoria State Library and was highly impressed with the whole layout and the original illustrations from Australian children’s books—especially those done by Greame Base (pictured). Dinner that evening was at a pub on the Yarra River, and an early walk the next morning took us to the famous Victoria Market prior to checking out of the hotel, redeeming our car from the parking garage, and heading out toward the famous Great Ocean Road.
The Great Ocean Road met all of our expectations—especially when the sun came out in all of its splendor, shining on “The London Bridge,” which was actually connected to the land mass until a huge section of it (the gap) collapsed into the ocean in the late 1990’s, leaving two people stranded out on the point (later rescued by helicopter), but with no loss of life. Along the Great Ocean Road there were a host of viewpoints that offered spectacular vistas of the rugged coastline. “The Twelve Apostles”—giant rock formations rising from the ocean near Port Campbell—draw thousands of tourists every year.
On the night of April 2nd we stayed at a quaint B&B in Port Campbell and then drove the next day on secondary roads through beautiful countryside back towards Melbourne in order to reach our motel in the town of Melton, a location chosen for its proximity to the airport. - rw

Levi & Ramona Willits in KL

It was a delight for three special kids to have "Grandpa Levi" and "Grandma Ramona" visiting in Kuala Lumpur for the whole month of February. Reeve, Gabi and Rania all appreciated special attention during that month.

On one week-end during their stay, Nancy and I, Levi and Ramona drove in our Rover sedan across Peninsular Malaysia to Kuantan on the east coast where we stayed at the Kuantan Hyatt. The setting on the coast was beautiful, and the pool was a great place to spend "R&R time."
We all enjoyed restaurant meals -- and even a lunch at McDonalds where the exit sign ("Terima Kasih") means "thank you" in Bahasa. We stayed three nights at the Hyatt (Thursday, Friday & Saturday) and drove back to KL mid-day on Sunday. I even managed to attend the English-speaking Presbyterian Church in Kuantan, thanks to making previous arrangements that involved an elder of the church picking me up in time for the 8:30 a.m. worship service. - rw

Rania's 5th Birthday!

Yes, it has literally been months (2) since a new posting appeared on our blog. HOWEVER, an event has occurred which demands action. Youngest granddaughter, Rania Suzanne Woodward reached a milestone today, March 28th -- her 5th birthday! Since Doug and Tracy were both busy teaching at the other campus, Grandpa picked up the celebratory cup cakes, drove to the Melawati campus and was present to photograph the event. Rania's teacher in her "Prep-Junior" class, Ms. Christy, was very organized and required each child to eat the "healthy food portions" of their morning snack (10:15 a.m.) prior to consuming their chocolate-covered cupcake. - rw

Halong Bay

After two nights (Jan. 2-3) in our hotel in Hanoi, a van picked us up in the morning, along with our traveling companions, the Haneys and the Philbricks, and took us to Halong Bay where we boarded "the Paloma" for a cruise of 2 nights and a part of 3 days. Halong Bay is world-famous for the unique rock formations, and the cruise included several hours for kayaking, a bar-b-que with linen tablecloths on a deserted sandbar, and a visit by small boats to a floating village.On the visit to the floating village
Nancy and I had a very attractive young Vietnamese girl who did all the rowing in our small dinghy. During summer months on Halong Bay it can be very hot, but we experienced chilly, overcast weather. I couldn't pass up getting a picture of Nancy all bundled-up on the upper deck. It wasn't exactly like a Caribbean Cruise! - rw

Life in Hanoi ...

One of the distinctive things about wandering around in the old city of Hanoi was the incredible number of motorcycles and motor scooters. Most intersections didn't have stop lights, so it became an art form to learn how to cross the street (a slow purposeful walk with eyes peeled rather than a more instinctive approach with stops-and-starts). That way the motorcycles seemed to know whether to miss you on the right or the left!
We did tour the famous "Hanoi Hilton," the prison where John McCain and other American pilots were held during the Vietnam War. Signs on the wall (call it propaganda) would lead you to believe that the pilots were so well-treated that for them it amounted to an extended vacation. The prison had been used by the French in Colonial times to incarcerate communists who were agitating for independence, and in regard to those days, the government was quick to point out the inhumane conditions.
Nancy had found a delightful hotel on the internet that only cost $50 a night, a hotel that was perfectly located for exploring the old city on foot. By the way, it was unseasonably cold in Hanoi! - rw