The Volcano Diaries (Part 1)

My First Glimpses of Bulusan and Mayon

Mt Bulusan (right) and Mt Mayon (far right) in the late afternoon light

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had a minor obsession with volcanoes. I guess it all started with the eruption of Mt St. Helens in 1980, which regularly made the evening news.

The crabs of Biri

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Sohoton Caves and Natural Bridge National Park

A few hours up river from the small town of Basey, on Samar, are the Sohoton Caves and Natural Bridge Natural Park. I recently took a trip there with some friends. It’s a lovely day trip and a great way to see something of the rural Philippines and get a glimpse of what the forests that once covered much of the country would once had looked like.

A new friend

A praying mantis adopted me while waiting for a minivan, and couldn’t be persuaded to leave! S/he kept climbing up my arm and into my hair, to the horror of everyone else around me, who thought I should kill it. Cue a long conversation about me being a conservationist and how praying mantids are “aggressive feminists”. Eventually I relocated her to a bush across the road.

Protected: Brown-out at the beach

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Escaping to Orpheus

Between Christmas and New Year I was lucky enough to get down to Orpheus Island, in the Palm Island group, to visit a friend who works at the JCU Research Station there. I’d planned to go down the year before but the roads were flooded after a cyclone on Christmas morning 2010 so I wasn’t able to get down.

Orpheus Island is a beautiful place. As well as the research station, there is a resort and public jetty, and it’s also possible to get a permit to camp in the national park.

Sunday strolls at the beach

After a week of rain, what a joy it was to see the sun again today! The perfect opportunity for a walk on the beach. The only challenge being… which beach to choose?! This morning I headed to Palm Cove with a friend for a walk and brunch – who can resist French toast with bacon and maple syrup on a Sunday morning? Not me, that’s for sure!

The sound of peace

Lying in my hammock this evening, enjoying a cup of tea, I heard two coucals calling. One of my favourite sounds in the world.

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There are 30 species of coucals, but only one in Australia, the Pheasant Coucal or Swamp Pheasant Centropus phasianinus.

The morning after…

There is a very serious problem sweeping Australia. All over the country incidents of public drunkeness are on the rise, with some offenders staying drunk for days! These shocking drunks are literally off their trees and staggering all over the place from over-indulgence in alcohol. They’re a public disgrace. Go to any rural centre in northern Australia and you can see them huddled together under trees looking sick and depressed. Others lose all fear and become friendlier than normal, forcing people into awkward and uncomfortable encounters.

“They don’t want to ingest a lot of alcohol, but they’re probably just being forced into the situation” says Dr Glen Chilton, of James Cook University, Townsville.

Stormy Weather

After several weeks of sweltering heat, frayed tempers and cold showers, the first storms of the season finally broke this afternoon. What sweet relief from the oppressive heat and stickiness of the build up! Just in time to prevent us all from succumbing to a chronic case of mango madness!

And what better way is there to spend a stormy afternoon than listening to some old classics?! Here are a few of my all-time favourite tunes for a rainy afternoon. Enjoy!