A note from Lucy

Hi, Guys!   Lucy here, just checkin' in.  Nothing new to report - still here in Singapore, as I can't really go anywhere like the humans can...  So, hanging out with my buddy, Ralph.  His humans are in Mumbai this week, so he's staying with us for the week.  Kind of fun, I guess, but he seems to pee everywhere I do.....  We went to Starbuck's two times this week, and will probably go on Saturday too, when Chris gets home from Beijing.  Today, Ralph and I had our paws cleaned in the shower, because there was tar in Katong Park due to the road construction - wasn't so bad, and we got cookies for being good.  Um.... guess that's it for now!

Blue River Ski

Toby

Back in Singapore, I was thinking of the wonderful ski I experienced with friends a week ago Sunday in Blue River, CO.  8 humans and 3 labs (1 lab was missing), we went on a cross-country ski near Hoosier Pass (about 15 minutes from our home).  The conditions were terrible (ice and crud) - I looked like a wounded animal most of the time, careening down the trail, face-planting here and there.... but the day was gorgeous, and the scenery was stunning as usual.  Then this past Sunday, I was on the beach!  Sometimes, I can't quite get my head around that.....

Who's the Alpha in this Picture?

After twenty minutes out in the park in equatorial Singapore, this is what we get:  "Im too hot, I'm too tired, I'm too hungry, I'm too done, I'm too whatever!"  Then, the human steps forward, Lucy plants her feet defiantly, the leash extends and tightens, and each mammal holds their ground.  OK, this mostly happens in the mid day sun or at 10 pm when everyone wants to sleep, but...  Who Wins most of the time?   .........  (at Katong Park)

At the staff table at Duo Restaurant, Invercargill

View from room at hostel

The pilot on the Doubtful Sound boat trip advised, "If you end up in Invercargill, you've got to have dinner at the Duo Restaurant on Kelvin Street......  Let me back up.  We got to Invercargill at 2 minutes to 5:00pm and arrived at the tourist office minutes before it closed for the day.  Since Invercargill is a town of 50,000, we figured here's one night when we don't have to reserve a hotel room.... right?  There was an agriculture convention in the town that week.  One room in the whole town was available - in a backpacker hostel hotel in a seedy part of town.  So, we swallowed our pride, parked the car in a tiny car park behind the hotel, crossed our fingers, locked it up and went to the room, which really was OK - clean and with a private bathroom.  Then we remembered John's (boat pilot) recommendation.  The Duo Restaurant was not more than a 5-minute walk from the hotel.  And of course, they were booked.  But the waitress who greeted us decided we looked "nice" and offered us the staff table in the back, next to the rest rooms, fire extinguisher and the kitchen.  We said "Sure!"  The chef, wandering around in the back, took one look at us and groused that he had to clean up his language, but he provided a superb meal, probably the best on the whole trip.  We had an excellent bottle of wine and two awesome seafood entrees - salmon and blue cod.  A memorable evening.

Hanging out on Stewart Island

View of Oban from motel

Kakas on our balcony

 When we took a cruise on Doubtful Sound and shared with the crew that we planned a one-night stay on Stewart Island, they said that we absolutely must stay at least two nights.  So, we did!  Stewart Island is a natural oasis the size of Singapore with about 400 full-time residents living in the one town of Oban.  Most of the island is either a national park, or wild life reserve with an endless number of tracks for day or overnight tramping.  We took a water taxi to Ulva Island nearby, that is a bird sanctuary with many well-maintained trails - spent about four hours there.  Between the isolation and the absence of predators, the birds were unusually comfortable with humans and the vegetation was very unique.  We also took a late evening boat ride to another side of Stewart Island for some "kiwi spotting".  Kiwis, with the body size of large turkeys, are diurnal, but the best time to spot them is at night when they can't see us - otherwise, they are quite elusive.  The town of Oban looked like a Scotland village from about 30 years ago - absolutely charming, with dogs ambling around, cars and pickups no newer than 1980, kakas the size of parrots, and one great pub. 

Kiwi feeding on the beach

Peace on Doubtful Sound

Milford Sound gets most of the attention in Fiordland National Park, while Doubtful Sound is bigger and more remote, and absolutely enchanting.  We made the wise decision to bite the bullet and sign up for an overnight trip on the Sound via cabin cruiser that slept only 12, including the crew.  It took a van ride, a ferry and a van ride over a pass to get down to the mooring.  We crossed the length of the fiord that afternoon to where it met the Tasmanian Sea, with rock/islands covered with seals and birds.  On the way back, we stopped to kayak, fish from the boat and check on some crayfish traps.  The fishing and the traps provided dinner that night, which was incredible.  That evening, we stationed ourselves on the roof of the boat with some good wine, found the Southern Cross and stared skyward at the dazzling display.  Unforgettable.

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

On the way...

Near The Chasm

The Chasm

We drove from Queenstown South around a mountain range, West and then North to Te Anau on the edge of Fiordland National Park.  This is home to hundreds of fiords that stretch West to the Tasmanian Sea.  Nothing but water, mountains and critters.  Milford Sound is probably the major draw, as it is stunning, and there is a road to it.  So we arrived in Te Anau and then took another gorgeous drive to Milford Sound.  Then we stayed the night in Te Anau, had a wonderful meal at Recliff Restaurant, one of those awesome, accidental finds, and left for an overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound, a bit bigger than Milford Sound, and more remote.  More on that with the next post.....