Sunday 21 June 2015

Fremantle Esplanade Skate Park

Skate parks are now dominated not by skate boards - but by scooters.
Over the past few months the boys have talked me into purchasing the best trick scooters for them - Shay rides the ENVY Prodigy , bought at the scooter hut and Levi's weapon of choice is the Grit Elite 2015.  We hit the new Esplanade Skate park  in Freo.. A brilliant venue right in middle of Fremantle.



Saturday 20 June 2015

Saturday morning (everywhere) in Australia...

'Working in Asia I miss a lot of the kids weekend sports. Its the worst thing about working abroad'.
But Today I woke up on Saturday morning back in my home town. I got the kids ready, took my daughter to netball and the boys to footy. While sport in Asia is all about  travelling, trekking and social football and cricket matches with transient friends, sport in Australia is about families, communities and  basically passing on what we know to our kids.
GPS confirms 6km covered in referring under 11's soccer match


Just so happens I timed this visit with the annual 'Dads match'... A great excuse to pack the boots and have a run after the Auskick games are over and the kids asking for money for the sausage sizzle. What a great day.  A great Saturday.

Levi is a spark in the forward line.
Favorite Position: Full Forward
Favorite Player - Fyfe.
Score today: 3 goals


The boots (and Vietnam swans shorts) get another run in the Annual Wembley Downs Dads match


WDFC Dads en masse
Sunday was more of the same with an early start in for a soccer match I was looking forward to more than any cup final or world cup fixture.  Wemley Downs 11s vs Joonadulp.

The Team lost 3 -2 , but it was a great game against a top side and I got to see Shay score!
Awesome!

Saturday 13 June 2015

Biking Bali... (A good excuse to get off the beach)

A great way to see some of the island of Bali, see and sample the local coffee [on site], turn the legs over and in our case stumble across a once in 5 year burial ceremony, is to get on one of the many bike tours which all drive you up to the Kintimani crater edge and guide you on bikes back down to Ubud. A distance of about 30km. 
Its a great day out and the ride is suitable for anyone between 8 to 80 years old.
Bali Go Bike are one of many operators who will accommodate you. So I say.."get off the beach and give it a go!" 




7 types of coffee including the Luwak ' (digested) bean
A burial ceremony at one of the many temples we passed

Back to Bali

For the first time in around 10 years re-visited Bali. I only had a few days but long enough to get in a bike ride, a surf and a couple of morning runs along Kuta beach.
And the good news was the condition of Kuta beach. 'Clean Up' programs have definitely worked and the beach looked great. Local vendors were very adamant about removing all their rubbish and helping the tourists dispose of theirs. The early morning expat clean up crews were inaction and the general care and thoughtfulnessfor the environment was alive. About time no doubt.

For first time visitors or returning travellers like me, I highly recomend Changu. Its the next village north of seminyak. A throw back to 80's Bali, with dusty streets, great open front cafes and bars, hippess, pot, markets, motorbikes and an awesome surf beach!



This was the previous time I was in Bali competing in the Bali International Triathlon 2008