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Gold Coast Australia

September 27, 2014 by David Herd

Gold Coast Australia

Gold Coast Australia was my home for 25 years from 1986 to 2011. Here are photos & comments on some of my wonderful memories.

This post focuses on 2008 which was another frenetic year of travel. Starting with 6 weeks in Brazil over Xmas & Carnival, with a fabulous week in New York on my way home. My Brazil trip included Rio de janeiro, Curitiba, Paraty, Belneario Camboriu & Florianopolis.

Three trips to Thailand in April, September & November, then throw in Bali, Singapore & Kuala Lumpur, so as you can see I hardly had time to unpack my suitcase. I nearly forgot a hectic couple of weeks in Sydney as well.

This is not a travel blog just a personal photo collection from 2008.

Qantas 1st class NYC to L.A.

I just had to include this photo flying 1st class thanks to my cousin Deb who is a Qantas flight attendant.

The old & the new opposite each other.

During my 25 years living here the changes were extraordinary, not all for the best I might add. The first 15 years were wonderful, however after that in my eyes, the overall atmosphere of the Gold Coast started to lose its shine, it no longer had the friendly village feel to it. I guess in my final 10 years there it just got too big and modern.

My home at 106 Upton St Bundall, 4217

In 1990 I designed & built a beautiful home on the waterfront with my own sandy beach & jetty for my boat, life was good. I sold the house in 2011 for over a million dollars, but this was $250k less than I was offered twice in 2007, the big drop in price was due to the Global Financial crisis, c’est la vie.

Gold Coast Australia, drinks at Melbas

Melbas bar & nightclub in Surfers Paradise Australia was my main drinking spot for most of my 25 years on the coast. Here are some of the fellows I would sometimes drink with.

Melbas always had sexy waitresses

One of the main reasons I made this my local watering hole.

Ian Rich was a friend for 45 years.

In 2008 Ian was living in a fabulous sub penthouse in Surfers Paradise Australia, the next few photos taken from his apartment are wonderful examples of Australia’s Gold Coast.

Ian’s beautiful apartment

A great view but very windy on the balcony.

Looking south at Surfers Paradise Australia

Absolutely breathtaking.

Looking north towards the seaway

Magnificent coastline in Surfers Paradise Australia Gold Coast.

Good Friday lunch at Chevron Island fish & chip shop.

One of my favourite eating spots in Surfers Paradise, great food at cheap prices & Frank the owner is an Australian football fanatic similar to myself. The couple on the left Les Scheffer & his wife Robyn & I used to be good friends, however in July 2013 they placed me firmly on their black list where I still reside today. 🙂

I’m sad to say Les passed away in March 2020 after a long battle with Cancer, RIP.

The boys in the fish & chip shop

A good bunch of guys.

Bjorn, Alisha, Brad, my nephew Michael & Matty.

Michael was in charge of cocktails as he was a barman at the Sheraton in Sydney as well as some other top venues.

Brad, Elisha & Matty.

I have a couple of internet hotspots in Surfers Paradise which earn me a few bucks, Brad owns the IT business which looks after them. Elisha is his lovely wife & Matty one of his technicians.

Here is Kayoko my friend from Tokyo.

Lots of cocktails were consumed at my home this night, there were a few sore heads in the morning.

Margarita time.

I’ll let Jimmy describe this fabulous cocktail.

Watch this video on YouTube

Gold Coast Australia Michael & Bjorn

The happy couple are living in Berlin which is Bjorn’s home town. 2016 Update; sadly earlier this year Bjorn lost his long battle with cancer, he will always be remembered as a wonderful friend, RIP.

Surfers Paradise meter maids

These lovely girls in the gold bikinis put coins in the expired parking meters, plus they look terrific.

Surfers Paradise Meter Maids

Are these babes cute or what?

Other side please

They look great from any angle.

Men At Work - Down Under (Official HD Video)

At Trevor’s apartment Broadbeach

Trevor Loresch is very much a self made man, lives in a beautiful Pattaya waterfront apartment along with this luxury holiday getaway in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast.

Birthday drinks with Ross Kennedy & Phil Thomson

Two of my best friends on the Gold Coast. Last year Phil & his lovely Japanese wife showed me how to get around the great city of Tokyo which has become one of my favorite cities. In 1996 Rossco & I jumped in my Porsche & did one of my all time great road trips to the Hunter Valley, Sydney, Falls Creek & Melbourne.

Birthday lunch at Melbas

You know you are getting older when you look at some group photos and a couple of guys you have known for decades are not with us anymore. Ron Collier on the left in the black & Noel with the glasses on the right, RIP.

Good friends Wayne Jones & Bryan Dart.

I have known these guys for over 20 years.

Happy birthday DH.

A great day with a lot of good friends.

This would be a perfect birthday present. 🙂

Promise I’ll give her back in the morning. 🙂

St Kilda play North Melbourne at Carrara.

Rossco & I jump into the wine & food at the St Kilda’s dinner at Carrara stadium.

Drinks at Melbas for our AFL tipping Competition.

I ran a AFL tipping competition for nearly 10 years, here are some of the happy crew enjoying our mid year drinks at Melbas.

My great mate Phil Thomson.

We are at Southport Sharks for our end of year AFL tipping competition.

Dennis Perry, a rose between 2 thorns

Running the tipping competition was a lot of fun, when I moved to Thailand in 2011 Dennis & his crew took it over.

Gold Coast Australia New Years Eve 2008

After a frantic year I spent a very quiet NYE with friends reflecting on another super year of travel & living in Gold Coast Australia. Thanks for visiting my Surfers Paradise Australia photo blog.

Here are some more posts to check out

Life 2015 Family history Life 1982

Adelaide 1972 Iron Bar Freddy Sydney 2006

Thailand 2008 Gold Coast Babes World trip 2003

Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book

through these links below. Book now & pay later.

Free Cancellation.

Bangkok Hotels Pattaya Hotels

Brazil Hotels

That’s all folks

Pattaya live webcam

A-One hotel on Beach Road

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.

Brazil Hotels

Soi Cowboy Nana Plaza Patpong

Perhaps you would like to see my terrific year in 2007?

Post by Travel blogger Fivestarvagabond.com”.

Gold Coast in 2014

Post by Travel blogger Fivestarvagabond.com”.

Australian Outback in 2003

Post by Travel blogger Fivestarvagabond.com”.

Check out these great photo blogs.

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Sydney Harbour magnificent city

September 25, 2014 by David Herd

Beautiful day on Sydney Harbour.

Sydney Harbour magnificent city

Sydney Harbour magnificent city with the best harbour in the world. We spell it harbour & Americans spell it harbour, wonderful if you have a good boat.

City of Sydney

Such a breathtaking skyline from the harbour.

Mr Stingy

I have know Richard for over 30 years & I’m pleased to say I gave him his nickname when we were in Thailand in 2004. He is quite a character & loves to brag about how much money he is worth, which is considerable. He lives in a beautiful home in one of Sydney’s premier harbour front suburbs, Point Piper. Richard had the unfortunate habit of drinking & eating twice as much as his friends then splitting the bill equally.

When travelling with his buddy Ken Shelly in Thailand he would show off & buy countless drinks for the girls in the bar then expect poor Ken to share equally when the bill came. Sitting on the beach at Koh Samui one day a Thai lady was reading his palm, she looked him in the eye & said “Oh I see you have a lot of money, but sadly you are very stingy”. Well that was perfect I thought so from that day one I Christened him “Mr Stingy”.

Ken & I on Stingy’s boat

Stingy’s long suffering friend Ken Shelly & I enjoying a few cold beers at Darling Harbour.

Stingy’s boat

A terrific boat for exploring Sydney Harbour, lots of room and very stable if seas are rough.

Centrepoint tower from Darling Harbour

In my book Sydney certainly ranks in the top 10 cities in the world.

Western Sydney skyline

That’s Centre-point tower dominating the skyline.

Sydney Harbour magnificent city

A great view of Sydney Harbour magnificent city, if you don’t have the luxury of a boat just catch the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly for an amazing view of this great city.

Sydney Opera House

Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the facility formally opened on 20 October 1973 after a gestation beginning with Utzon’s 1957 selection as winner of an international design competition. The NSW Government, led by Premier Joseph Cahill, authorised work to begin in 1958, with Utzon directing construction. The government’s decision to build Utzon’s design is often overshadowed by circumstances that followed, including cost and scheduling overruns as well as the architect’s ultimate resignation.

View from the front

Though its name suggests a single venue, the project comprises multiple performance venues which together are among the busiest performing arts centres in the world — hosting over 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people.

Point Piper apartments

What a perfect place foe an apartment.

Royal Motor Yacht Club Point Piper.

You can just see a corner of Stingy’s home on the left of the club.

Stingy’s $6 million home

Richard designed & built his lovely home, he is an experienced builder who made most of his fortune by building most of the Red Rooster outlets in Australia.

The incredible view from Stingy’s home

A sensational view of Rose Bay.

Luna Park at Milsons Point north of the harbour

The park was constructed at the foot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge during 1935, and ran for nine-month seasons until 1972, when it was opened year-round. Luna Park was closed in mid-1979, immediately following the Ghost Train fire, which killed six children and one adult. Most of the park was demolished, and a new amusement park was constructed; this originally operated under the name of Harbourside Amusement Park before resuming the Luna Park name. The park was closed again in 1988 as an independent engineering inspection determined that several rides needed urgent repair. The owners failed to repair and reopen the park before a New South Wales government deadline, and ownership was passed to a new body. Reopening in 1995, Luna Park closed again after thirteen months because of the Big Dipper roller coaster noise pollution complaints from residents on the clifftop above the park caused the ride’s operating hours to be heavily restricted, and the drop in attendance made the park unprofitable. After another redevelopment, Luna Park reopened in 2004 and has continued operating since.

Richard, Ken Shelly & Peter Hobbs.

Here we are at Bar Reggio in Crown St Darlinghurst, a very popular Italian restaurant.

My new second hand Lexus.

I have Stingy to thank for finding my beautiful Lexus, I have owned many luxury vehicles including Jaguars, Mercedes & Porsche’s but $ for $ this is the best car I have ever driven. Japanese technology at its best.

Watching Australian Football

Watching my team the Sydney Swans at the SCG in Peter Hesky’s private box.

Old friend Rob Symonds & son visit from Hobart.

Rob and I first met in Adelaide in 1972.

Anne Lacey & Ruth Vincent with our host Peter Hesky

Sydney City has a special place in my heart, I was born & grew up in the western suburbs. There is no doubt the harbour is the best in the world & each time I fly in my excitement & anticipation is electric.

Thanks for visiting my Sydney Harbour magnificent city photo blog.

A-One hotel on Beach Road

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.

Brazil Hotels

Pattaya live webcam

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That’s all folks

Here are some more posts to check out

Life 2015 Family history Life 1982

Adelaide 1972 Iron Bar Freddy Sydney 2006

Thailand 2008 Gold Coast Babes World trip 2003

Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book

through these links below. Book now & pay later.

Free Cancellation.

Bangkok Hotels Pattaya Hotels

Brazil Hotels

That’s all folks

Pattaya live webcam

A-One hotel on Beach Road

More Sydney photos from 2009 in the slideshow as well as some from the Gold Coast.

Check out these great photo blogs.

Rio beach babes

Florianopolis Brazil

Bangkok river ferry

Fabulous HCMC

Amazing World Food

Lyme Regis Jurassic coast

Hiroshima Japan

Sydney Harbour

Lake Como Lake Garda Italy

Pattaya live webcam

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Samba Schools street parades

September 22, 2014 by David Herd

Carnival parade on Avenue Atlantica

Samba Schools street parades

Samba Schools street parades are called blocos in Rio, Carnival time in 2005 was just one huge non stop party. The excitement generated is absolutely electric.

Blocos are the street bands and groups

Blocos are the street bands and groups that are the main popular expression in Carnival of Pernambuco in Brazil. These celebrations are mixed under the term “street carnival”, a term that still includes the bandstands and parades at streets of Olinda and Recife, and happen during a period of about two months (beginning before and finishing after Carnival).

The biggest bloco is the Galo da Madrugada that attracts more than 2,000,000 people to downtown Recife.

Bloco on Avenue Atlantica Copacabana

The biggest bloco in Brazil is the Galo da Madrugada that attracts more than 2,000,000 people to downtown Recife.

Bloco truck in Copacabana

Never a dull moment in Copacabana.

Samba Schools street parades

You really almost need earplugs the music is so load. 🙂

Check out the speakers in the truck below

Since 2004, the blocos have exploded and now there are now nearly 300 blocos with over 40 new ones appearing for the 2007 Carnaval. The first blocos started only a little over ten years ago. This is the heart of the “Street Carnival” which includes the greater likelihood of locals playing percussion instruments with their friends at their favorite hangout as well as the Bandstands and the many Parades of downtown’s Rio Branco Avenue.

These events are inclusive and practice for the musicians begins months before the Carnaval and the parades do not end until Sunday of the following weekend.

Same corner later that night

My apologies for the out of focus photo.

Full house on Copacabana beach

Of course it is almost shoulder to shoulder on the beach.

Samba Schools street parades Avenue Atlantica Copacabana

The noise, the people, the music is fantastic.

Samba vs Marchinhas

“If they have brass, they’ll usually call themselves a “banda”. Either way, they’ll rehearse for a month or two, or maybe not rehearse at all, and then they rent a sound truck for the singers and guitarists to ride on, and have a big parade. It’s sort of a “Let’s have a party!” down-home approach to Carnaval. It’s actually the way the escolas-de-samba used to be, way back in the old days…… Most blocos play samba or, if they have a brass band, they might play marchinhas, the peppy European polka-type music of old-school Carnaval. Carnaval music used to all be marchinhas, back in the 30’s, before samba was brought to Rio by immigrants from Bahia.”

Bloco in Copacabana

Carnival time in Rio is something everybody should try to experience at least once in their life.

One of the Blocos in Rio

The crowd at Copacabana is building.

Dancing in the street

The Rio de Janeiro street carnival begins in November. The street carnival are structured in groups named: bloco, cordon, band or rancho but they are really about simple fun with others. If you wander in the zona sul districts of Gávea, Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana and Botafogo during the Carnaval you will often find them hanging out prior to parading. This is known as the period of Concentration.

Most bands also have official T-shirts for sale on the spot for about US$10, to help with the costs. They make great souvenirs, as they are sold only on Rio Carnival days.

Samba Schools street parades dancing with chairs

Not too sure why the chairs play a part, tradition I guess.

This is Dave Sommer & his girlfriend

Dave lived & worked in Sao Paulo in the insurance industry, he & his girl both danced in the parade at the Sambadrome. I was lucky to have them take me to their Samba school to see everyone preparing the costumes & the instruments.

Sadly Dave was brutally murdered in Sao Paula January 29 2015, RIP buddy.

Trying on her Samba hat.

With some help from her excited Mum. 🙂

Here I am with mother & daughter.

What a lovely two Brazilian ladies, it was such a pleasure being invited into their home.

And here she is in the parade

Can you imagine my joy & happiness when I spotted my friend in the parade and was able to get this great shot. Before I left Rio I had it framed as a present for her. Sambadrome is the name given to an exhibition place for the Samba Schools in Brazil. It generally consists of spectator viewing areas surrounding a long alley for the schools to parade down.

Here is the Mocidade Samba school

The Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel Samba School, commonly known as Mocidade, formed out of a local football (soccer) club from the favela of Padre Miguel in Vila Vintém, a neighborhood located on the western side of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Known for its unique and unparalleled style of dance and its excellence in teaching its members the steps of the samba, Mocidade competed in its first Rio Carnival parade in 1955.

Competing in Group B, by 1958 Mocidade won its first Group title, which bumped the Samba School up to the higher tiered Access Group. In 1976, Mocidade placed fifth in the Special Group and were the Rio Carnival runners-up in 1976. Finally, in 1979 the Mocidade Samba School won its first overall Rio Carnival title with a spectacular interpretation of its theme, “The Discovery of Brazil”.

Ever since, Mocidade has been known for the the unity and synchronicity in its performances, tying together the various aspects of plot with an innovative use of dance, music, costumes and floats. Known for its futuristic design concepts, Mocidade shocked the audience, judges, and other parading Samba Schools with a miraculous flying parader — a first in Rio Carnival history!

Mocidade Samba School

Do you hear the drums Fernando?

Dave has got his hat & instructions.

I think Dave had to pay the school about $400 to participate in the parade. Dave Sommer lived & worked in Sao Paulo, Sadly he was brutally murdered on January 11 2015.

It all leads up to Carnival, the greatest show on Earth.

Many thanks for visiting my Samba Schools street parades photo blog.

For a discounted hotel room rate just book through THIS LINK.

Check out the live webcam here.

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Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book

through these links below. Book now & pay later.

Free Cancellation.

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That’s all folks

Pattaya live webcam

Magnificent Brazilian girls dancing Samba in Parity.

Watch this video on YouTube

Sexy Brazilian blond dancing the Samba

Watch this video on YouTube

Post by Travel blogger Fivestarvagabond.com”.

A little further north is a real surprise

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They speak the same language in Portugal

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Pattaya live webcam

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Sexy Babes Copacabana Beach

September 18, 2014 by David Herd

Two fantastic looking ladies

Sexy Babes Copacabana Beach

Sexy Babes Copacabana Beach in 2005 and I was there to help them have a great time. Probably one of my best trips to Rio, in fact it may have been the best. Good friends, beautiful women & lots of fun.

Above is a perfect example of the beautiful sexy Brazilian girls who flock to Rio from all over Brazil at Carnival time. On the left is Samantha with one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen. I was lucky enough to spend some time with her.

Samantha, oh what a smile.

Samantha came from the country outside of Rio, I tried to contact her again when I returned in 2007 but the language barrier made it just too difficult to speak on the phone. I should have tried harder.

Haniball Lector lookalike

Carnival is party time, there are so many wonderful characters, no wonder they call it the greatest show on Earth.

Another beautiful face in Copacabana

Her name is Sylvia, a friend of Dave Wylie.

Tall & tanned & young & lovely

During the day the beach is the place to be and to be seen.

Back to Samantha at Copacabana.

Yes, the more I think about it the more I think this was my best Rio trip.

Sensational bikini babe at Copacabana

This beautiful girl in the orange bikini has the most wonderful skin colour, among everything else of course. 🙂

I really had to look twice to be sure she was real 🙂

That is what I call a very healthy well built girl, her name is Irene, you gotta love Rio.

Doug, & two Daves at Copacabana.

Doug is the guy kissing the lady, he sadly passed away a year or two after this photo was taken. A very nice man who’s company is missed by all his friends. Dave Sommer is in the middle, he lived & worked in Sao Paulo, Sadly he was brutally murdered on January 11 2015. Dave Wylie is now in Crescent City and thinking about returning to Thailand in 2015.

OK, back to the babes

Not too much has to be said about this photo, it seems to speak for itself. I must point out however that sexy topless girls are rare in Rio de Janeiro, one of the few locations is on Copacabana Beach in front of the Orthon Hotel.

Talking about hotels in Rio, if you want a very good discount just book through THIS LINK.

Copacabana is packed at Carnival

Naturally the beaches are very crowded around Carnival & the weather in February is usually magnificent.

Tatiane & Marcelli, gorgeous girls.

My friend Dave Wylie introduced me to Tatiane & Marcelli, two absolutely gorgeous Brazilian girls.

What was her name?

I forget her name, but I spent some time with her after meeting her on the beach. 🙂

Surfs up at Copacabana

Quite unusual to see such a rough surf here, usually the waves are quite gentle compared to other Brazilian & Australian beaches, especially Sydney at Bondi.

Another beautiful face

My favourite spot of an evening was the side-walk restaurant outside HELP nightclub. It was such a great scene, quite a large rectangular area and dozens of beautiful girls would circle it hoping for an invitation to sit down and have a drink with you. It was a little like the wild west days when the Indians would surround the wagons. 🙂

Evening wear Copacabana style.

At carnival time anything goes in the fashion stakes as you can plainly see. 🙂

I’ll try anything to attract a lady

There is no trick I won’t try to attract a ladies attention. Do you think this strategy is sending the right message?

Age is no barrier

An 85 yo American guy having a ball, age is no barrier in Copacabana at Carnival.

I keep coming back to Samantha

Her lovely smile would light up a room, I’m just thankful it was my room. 🙂

Sexy Babes Copacabana Beach

160,000 people live in Copacabana and 44,000 or 27.5% of them are 60 years old or older. Copacabana covers an area of 7.84 km which gives the borough a population density of 20,400 people per km². Residential buildings eleven to thirteen stories high built right next to each other dominate the borough. Houses and two-story buildings are rare. When Rio was the capital of Brazil this was considered one of the best neighbourhoods in the country if not the best. Therefore the sea front apartments are extremely luxurious and classical. In the 1970s the neighbourhood descended in the social scales and now is one of the most overcrowded in the planet.

Dave Wylie in his element.

One of the sexy babes with my good friend Dave who lived in Rio for around 10 years & speaks fluent Portuguese. He was the motivation for me to start my travel blog in June 2013.

My lovely friend Jackie

We met on the internet 3 years ago and have been friends ever since. Jackie has two children & speaks 3 languages, Italian, English & Portuguese. We are dining at Milano Doc between Copacabana & Ipanema in Rio De Janeiro.

What about those beautiful eyes?

This is beautiful Diana, all 39 kilos of her. 🙂

The girl with the fluffy tail

Here is Leila, as I said before anything goes in fashion when Carnival is on.

These sexy babes caught me with the camera.

Sprung again, this is one of my favourite photos, I love the look on her face when she caught me taking the photo.

Sugarloaf mountain

Sugarloaf mountain Rio De Janeiro dominates the Copacabana skyline, take the cable car to the top for one of the greatest views in the world.

Street parade on Avenue Atlantica

Thousands of party animals follow the trucks which have music blaring and people cheering & having fun. I plan to write another post just on the street Blocos & the Carnival preparations, stay tuned. 🙂

Beautiful Carla

I met this beautiful lady 2 years ago in 2003 and I really must show you a photo from then.

Carla in 2003

Carla has the most magnificent skin colour I have ever seen.

Many thanks for visiting my Sexy Babes Copacabana Beach photo blog.

Please check out these fabulous posts

Gold Coast Pattaya Cinque Terre

Soi Cowboy Nana Plaza Patpong

Please check out these fabulous posts

Gold Coast Pattaya Cinque Terre

Rio de Janeiro Singapore Eastern Europe

Bangkok Bars Tokyo Cape Town Safari

Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book

through these links below. Book now & pay later.

Free Cancellation.

Bangkok Hotels Pattaya Hotels

That’s all folks

Pattaya live webcam

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos

Copacabana Ipanema Bikini Babes

September 13, 2014 by David Herd

Copacabana Beach

Copacabana Ipanema Bikini Babes

Copacabana Ipanema bikini babes and much more can be seen at both these great beaches in Rio de Janeiro. No beach on Earth offers the exciting panorama of these playgrounds of the rich & poor.

It was October 2009, the weather was magnificent & I caught up with many of my old & new friends in this wonderful city.

Stick around I’m going to take you on a tour from Copacabana to Ipanema via Arpoador.

Copacabana bars & cafes

Every 50 meters along Copacabana there is a fabulous cafe bar where you can eat, drink & watch the beach volleyball, or if you are that way inclined just gaze longingly at the beautiful bikini clad Cariocas. 🙂

The cafe above is one of the newer versions replacing the older one like you see below.

A great place to sit and watch the world go by.

Here is a webcam focused on Copacabana.

Did I mention bikini clad Cariocas?

Carioca is a Brazilian adjective or demonym that is used to refer to the native inhabitants of the city of Rio de Janeiro.

This guy is punching way above his weight

One of the many fabulous brown skin bikini babes on Copacabana.

Copacabana with Sugarloaf in the background

A trip to Sugarloaf mountain is a must do.

A typical New Years Eve

In Copacabana the crowds build up from mid afternoon, at night there are around 2 million people on the beach dressed in white.

For great hotel room rates just book through THIS LINK.

David Young sadly passed away March 2 2013

He suffered for years with a very bad painful back then underwent a couple of operations where metal screws were inserted into his spine. Infection set in and they had to be replaced & finally it all became too much and this nice friend of mine passed away in the city he loved.

Happier times with David & friends

David worked with Jonathan Kendall on the left, the couple on the right are Les & Robin Scheffer who lived near me on the Gold Coast in Australia.

Sadly Les passed away in March 2020.

Bobby Frishman from “Blame it on Rio” travel

Bobby has been in Rio for many years running a well known travel agency in Copacabana.

Don Camillo Copacabana

One of the many restaurants on Avenue Atlantica in Copacabana.

Dinner with Simone

Simone & I have been great friends for a number of years, in fact in 2005 we travelled around north east Brazil from Natal to Recife via the beautiful Praia de Pipa. For the last few years Simone has been working in a bank in Sao Paulo. Simone & I in fact traveled 300 kms by taxi from Ponte Negra to Recife stopping in Pipa on the way.

Lets leave Copacabana & walk to Arpoador

If we are going to walk we may as well follow these two gorgeous girls. 🙂

For a great hotel room rate in RIO just book through THIS LINK.

Fort Copacabana

Fort Copacabana was inaugurated in 1914 with a mission to protect the coast of Rio de Janeiro and the entrance to the harbour. Today the fort provides visitors educational and cultural activities. Coordinates: 22.988117°S 43.191678°W

The Arpoador Rock

In the past, at very end of Arpoador Promontory – The Arpoador Rock– fishermen used to harpoon the whales that came to reproduce in this warm waters. The harpoon used by those fishermen gave the park its name and also has been used to identify the rock (in Portuguese Arpoador means fishermen who uses harpoon). The Arpoador Rock is preserved by the Municipal Historic Heritage. Also within the APA limits there is a public square called Girl of Ipanema Park after the world famous song composed by Vinicius de Moraes and Antônio Carlos Jobim.

Copacabana Ipanema Bikini Babes

A great view of Copacabana beach from here.

Arpoador Park

Not known worldwide as the beaches either side but a much more peaceful scene than Ipanema and Copacabana.

Arpoador, between Ipanema & Copacabana.

White sand, sunshine and a beautiful blue sky, what more could you want?

Arpoador beach

More peaceful than Copacabana.

Looking down on all this beauty from Cocovada

Corcovado, meaning “hunchback” in Portuguese, is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 710-metre granite peak is located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park.

Frank Sinatra sings and Tony Motolla plays the guitar. The tune is “Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)”, written by Antonio Carlos Jobim.

frank sinatra corcovado

Watch this video on YouTube

Beautiful Ipanema

One of the most breathtaking beaches in the world.

Garota de Ipanema restaurant

You guessed it, here is where they wrote the song which was inspired by Heloísa Eneida Menezes Paes Pinto (now Helô Pinheiro), a nineteen-year-old girl living on Montenegro Street in the fashionable Ipanema district in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Daily, she would stroll past the popular Veloso bar-café, not just to the beach (“each day when she walks to the sea”), but in the everyday course of her life. She would sometimes enter the bar to buy cigarettes for her mother and leave to the sound of wolf-whistles. In the winter of 1962, the composers watched the girl pass by the bar, and it is easy to imagine why they noticed her—Helô was a 173-cm (five-foot eight-inch) brunette, and she attracted the attention of many of the bar patrons. Since the song became popular, she has become a celebrity.

On the wall is the music as well

How many times have you heard this beautiful song? Each time I hear it I’m transported back to Ipanema.

Les & Robyn Shcheffer from the Gold Coast in Australia.

This couple lived quite close to me on the Gold Coast in Australia, we used to be good friends however 4 years ago in 2013 they placed me on their “black list”, I must admit I’m quite comfortable there. 🙂 Sadly Les passed away in March 2019.

As you can see from the photo the food is rather excellent.

Garota de Ipanema restaurant

I have been here many times, on of my greatest memories of Rio was here on New Years Eve 2007 with my friend Dave Wylie. We had a window seat and all around us was one of Rio’s famous blocos. Street Carnival Bands, called “Blocos de Rua”, have become an expressive feature of Rio’s Carnival. Today, they number more than 440 (considering 2012 Rio Carnival only) and the groups increase each year. Blocos can be formed by small or large groups of revelers with a distinct title with an often funny pun. (Os blocos RJ, para os solteiros, são um lugar para conhecer e até beijar pessoas, or “The blocos in Rio de Janeiro, for the singles, are places to meet and even kiss people.”) They may also note their neighborhood or social status. Before the show, they gather in a square, then parade in sections of the city, often near the beach. Some blocos never leave one street and have a particular place, such as a bar, to attract viewers. Block parades start in January, and may last until the Sunday after Carnival.

For a great hotel room rate in RIO just book through THIS LINK.

Dave Wylie & I Carnival in Ipanema in 2008.

After living in Rio for 10 years my good friend Dave spent 18 months as my neighbour in Pattaya Thailand before returning to Crescent City California.

Ipanema bloco Carnival 2008

Dave Wylie took this wonderful photo which captures the essence of a Carnival bloco in Ipanema in 2008.

Copacabana Ipanema Bikini Babes

Brown skin, bikinis & blue sky, what more could you want?

Sing the song Francis

The Girl From Ipanema - Frank Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim | Concert Collection

Watch this video on YouTube

Thanks for visiting my Copacabana Ipanema Bikini Babes photo blog.

Zagreb Croatia Rio de Janeiro Brisbane River

Koh Samui Korea London

Bangkok Osaka Pattaya

Chiang Mai Pattaya Chao Phraya river

Pattaya live webcam

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Click here for Rio street parties.

Post by Travel blogger Fivestarvagabond.com”.

Three hours from Rio is wonderful Paraty

Post by Travel blogger Fivestarvagabond.com”.

Rio de Janeiro, no it is Vietnam

Post by Travel blogger Fivestarvagabond.com”.

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Babes boats Bangkok trips 2001

September 10, 2014 by David Herd

Babes boats Bangkok trips 2001, the frenetic travel continued. Two trips to Thailand & one world trip including Spain, Venezuela, Cuba & Los Angeles. This is not part of my travel blog it’s just a photographic record of the people who crossed my path in 2001.

Rita & Vanessa on the Broadwater.

Babes boats Bangkok & living on the Gold Coast which ensured you spent many days on the beautiful Broadwater. Rita was from Shanghai & Vanessa was a Gold Coast local.

Most other boats were bigger than mine.

Like most places in the world, someone always has a bigger boat. 🙂 This particular one is owned by Billionaire Bob Ell.

Skye Edwards from Launceston

Skye was a beautiful girl from Launceston who was visiting the Gold Coast, I was lucky enough to take her out a couple of times.

Ross Kennedy & Jim Bell.

Jim Bell rented a room in my home for 17 years, that’s what I call a long time tenant. 🙂 Rossco is a good friend and a long suffering St Kilda fan.

Keiko visits from Japan.

I met Keiko on the internet so when she came to the Gold Coast for a business conference naturally I took her boating on the Broadwater. There is something special about babes boats sunshine & living like a king on the Gold Coast.

Keiko & her workmates

A chopper ride over the Gold Coast.

Dinner at Main Beach with Keiko & her workmates

Main Beach was a Gold Coast hotspot, now in 2016 it has faded somewhat.

A weekend in Sydney at Pothole’s place.

It’s 2018 & Pothole & I live in the same building in Pattaya Thailand.

Swedish backpackers at the Oaks Hotel

I met a couple of Swedish backpackers at the airport and bought them back to Pothole’s home, we ended up at the Oaks hotel in Neutral Bay.

Lars, Rick & Derry.

Rick the guy in the middle has been a friend since the 70s, he was a Sydney solicitor who for as long as I have known him has pretended to be some sort of secret agent, I like to call him 003 & 1/4, not half the man James Bond was. 🙂 He played the role quite well including fitting out his Porsche with a police radio, umbrella guns in easy reach and a switch to release an oil slick to foil any bad guys who were pursuing him. The thing that amazes me is how such an intelligent guy can live out such a fantasy. His most recent episode was finding a obscure European title, he now calls himself “Count” and has hyphenated his name. Words fail me, then again whatever floats your boat. 🙂

Vanessa Teo

Vanessa worked in the U.S. for many years before returning to Australia, I think her mother was English & her father was Chinese & was a high court judge in Port Moresby.

Ponzi scheme

Loading cargo onto the only flight a failed company called Cargo Jet managed to get into the air. My involvement was a very expensive exercise as I’ll briefly explain. Graham Cash was a Gold Coast accountant I had known for 14 years & regarded as a friend. He put together a air cargo company which failed miserably, he also conducted a clever Ponzi scheme which cost me around $100,000 in capital over a period of 4 years. It’s not as bad as it seems as I did receive around $85,000 in interest during that time, many others lost far more than I did from this mongrel of a con artist.

My lovely mother Iris Herd.

Sadly passes away in 2007, will never be forgotten.

Thanks for visiting my Babes boats Bangkok photo blog.

Here are some more posts on my wild wicked ways.

Life 2015 Family history Life 1982

Adelaide 1972 Iron Bar Freddy Sydney 2006

Thailand 2008 Gold Coast Babes World trip 2003

Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book

through these links below. Book now & pay later.

Free Cancellation.

Bangkok Hotels Pattaya Hotels

Brazil Hotels

That’s all folks

Pattaya live webcam

A-One hotel on Beach Road

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.

Brazil Hotels

Soi Cowboy Nana Plaza Patpong

Australian adventures

Great Ocean Road

Melbourne

Port Macquarie

Sydney landmarks

Australian seafood

Mr Wong

Remembering Melbas

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

Brisbane

My life in 2003

Pattaya live webcam

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Sydney Harbour Circular Quay

August 25, 2014 by David Herd

Bill Austin & Joan Baptiste

Sydney Harbour Circular Quay

Sydney Harbour Circular Quay was the first place I took my English friends Joan & Bill after driving down the Pacific Highway from the Gold Coast QLD in 2010. In my eyes this represents the front door to the city.

Bill is the brother of my friend Alan Austin who is a guest of Her Majesty, Bill & I met when I first visited Alan in 2007. Joan was an Olympic runner who competed in the 200 meters at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Bill was a Para Military man who served time in Ireland & many other countries.

Sunset at Circular Quay

The Diamond Princess moored at Circular Quay.

The Diamond Princess

Diamond Princess is a cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises. She began operation in March 2004 and primarily cruises in Alaska during the summer and Asia in the winter along with Australia cruises.

Sydney Opera House

Though its name suggests a single venue, the project comprises multiple performance venues which together are among the busiest performing arts center’s in the world — hosting over 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people.

Sydney Harbour Circular Quay

From a restaurant opposite.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Even more famous than Circular Quay and Bondi is the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

1. Construction started: July 28, 1923

1. Opened: March 19, 1932

1. Total length: 1,149 m

Height: 134 m

Naturally Bill had to climb it. 🙂

Being an ex Para Military man who has made over 500 parachute jumps Bill naturally had to climb to the top of the bridge, and what an amazing view he had from there.

Circular Quay Sydney

Known as the gateway to Sydney.

Sydney Harbour Circular Quay

This is one of my favourite shots.

Hydrofoil and Ferry

The old & the new. 🙂

The view from the Quay apartments

Can you imagine the price of a condo here?

Jet boat

Are you ready for a spin?

OK, lets go….

Fast & furious.

Cruise ship heading for Circular Quay

This is more my style. 🙂

Circular Quay

There are many good restaurants surrounding Circular Quay, to me it is one of the most interesting areas of this great city. If I had to choose between Circular Quay and Bondi I would choose Circular Quay every time.

Two restaurants, Doyles and the Quay.

As you can imagine both these restaurants are very expensive.

Peter Hesky’s 60th January 3rd 2007.

We celebrated my friends 60th at the Quay restaurant in 2007.

The Rocks

The Rocks is an historic part of Sydney adjacent to Circular Quay, this is an old warehouse which is now a restaurant.

Historic buildings

The small building is Cadmans cottage the oldest surviving residential building in Sydney, having been built in 1816 for the use of the governmental coxswains and their crews.

The Sailors Home opened its doors in February 1865. Naval personnel lodged there until 1891 when the Royal Naval House, with accommodation for 300, opened in nearby Grosvenor Street. The sailors used to consume opium and alcohol, because in the nineteenth century, opium is legally consumed. Passers-by could smell opium when near the Sailor’s home. In 2002, Sailors Home was changed to The Australian Mariners’ Welfare Society.

Maritime Services Building

The Museum of Contemporary Art was established to fulfill the museum aspect of the visionary bequest of Australian expatriate artist John Power (1881-1943), who left his personal fortune to the University of Sydney to inform and educate Australians in the contemporary visual arts. The traditional owners of the land on which the MCA building is situated are the Eora people of the Gadigal nation. This site also marks the landing place of the First Fleet in Port Jackson in 1788. In 1802 Sydney’s first hospital and wharf were built nearby, with commissariat stores built by Colonel Foveaux in 1812. In the 1930s the commissariat stores and taxation building were demolished to make way for a new Maritime Services Board (MSB) building (the previous MSB offices were displaced by the Cahill Express Way and Circular Quay railway development). Government architect W.H. Withers began work on the building plans in 1939. Work resumed in 1944 under government architect W D H Baxter after a postponement of four years from 1940 due to Australia’s involvement in World War II. Builders were appointed in 1946 but difficulties in securing labour and material due to post war shortages delayed construction. The foundation stone was laid in 1949 and in 1952 the MSB building opened. With the relocation of the MSB to larger premises in 1989 the building was gifted by the NSW State Government to the Museum of Contemporary Art. Funded by the University of Sydney and the Power Bequest, restoration and refurbishment of the building commenced in 1990 under the direction of Andrew Andersons of Peddle Thorpe/John Holland Interiors and in November 1991 the Museum of Contemporary Art officially opened.

Sydney Skyline

The best harbour in the world.

Manly Ferry

About a 40 minute trip from Circular Quay to manly, one of the world’s great boat rides.

Ferry arriving at Manly

So much to see on Sydney harbour.

North Sydney with Luna Park in the foreground.

A city within a city.

Kirribilli House

Kirribilli House is the official residence of the Australian Prime Minister in Sydney, New South Wales. The house is located at the far eastern end of Kirribilli Avenue in the harbour-side suburb of Kirribilli straight opposite Circular Quay.

The Oaks Hotel Neutral Bay.

I know it’s a few kms from Sydney Circular Quay, however it’s my favourite Australian pub, I have been drinking here for over 30 years, I can’t begin to imagine how much money I have spent there. 🙂

Well in this post we covered a few more subjects than Sydney Circular Quay and Bondi beach, I hope you enjoyed it as much as did.

To receive my latest posts please follow me on Twitter Follow @David_Herd

Here are some more posts to check out

Life 2015 Family history Life 1982

Adelaide 1972 Iron Bar Freddy Sydney 2006

Thailand 2008 Gold Coast Babes World trip 2003

Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book

through these links below. Book now & pay later.

Free Cancellation.

Bangkok Hotels Pattaya Hotels

Brazil Hotels

That’s all folks

Pattaya live webcam

Soi Cowboy Nana Plaza Patpong

Pattaya live webcam

That’s all folks

Australian adventures

Great Ocean Road

Melbourne

Port Macquarie

Sydney landmarks

Australian seafood

Mr Wong

Remembering Melbas

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

Brisbane

My life in 2003

Pattaya live webcam

David Herd Thailand

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Travel plus danger in 2010

August 24, 2014 by David Herd

My Gold Coast home 1990 to 2011

travel plus danger

Travel plus danger in 2010, first the travel, I’ll talk about the danger later. Travel included Thailand, Cambodia & Europe plus two visits to Sydney.

Some English & Italian visitors were guests in my Gold Coast home. Bill & Joan from Wiltshire met up with me in Thailand in January & we flew to Australia in February, this was their first trip “down under”. We drove down the east coast to Sydney before they returned to the U.K.

This is not a travel blog just a personal photo collection from 2010.

Bill Austin & Joan Baptiste

Alan finally regained his freedom late 2018 after 11 years in the slammer.

Mt Tamborine on the Gold Coast.

Hang gliders jumping off Tambourine mountain.

Byron Bay

One hour south of the Gold Coast is Byron Bay the most easterly point of Australia.

My beach & Jetty

I sold my boat last year so I was able to rent my jetty to moor a houseboat.

Cold beer on the houseboat

You too can have a body like this if you abuse it. 🙂

Roberta, Mikie & Alice from Italy

I did a house swap with this lovely Italian family, I stayed in their ski chalet in northern Italy in July & they came to my home in August.

Roberta loved the pelicans at Labrador.

Roberta was the Italian champion kite surfer, in fact if I remember correctly she was ranked 4th or 5th in the world.

Lovely Alice from Italy

Is this a cute little gal or what?

Charis seafood in Labrador

Wonderful seafood market on the Gold Coast. I moved to Thailand in October 2011 and apart from some friends & family the fresh Aussie seafood is the thing I miss most.

Roberta, Mikie & Alice from Italy

Playing on the beach in front of my home.

Fresh prawns & avocado

While on the subject of fresh Aussie prawns, there is no better sandwich in the world than prawns & avocado on fresh white bread.

Dinner with Deb & Jodie

Planning our trip to Italy & the French Riviera in July at the Garlic Clove restaurant.

Melbourne Cup at Surfers Paradise

The track is adjacent to my home.

Tania Zaetta at the Melbourne Cup

Tania was a well know celebrity, I think she may have been in a couple of TV shows & a Bollywood movie.

Melbourne Cup at Surfers Paradise

A little eye candy at the track, talk about travel and danger, well I would love to travel with her & accept whatever danger that may bring. 🙂

Dressed to the nines & feeling no pain

It is always great entertainment watching the crowd at the end of the day, some find walking rather difficult. 🙂

Travel plus danger in 2010 “Dueling baseball bats”

I spoke earlier of travel and danger, well here is the danger. It was May 2010 and I had only returned from Asia 48 hours ago & was still a little jet lagged. It would have been far safer staying in Bangkok or Cambodia than my home on the Gold coast, as I was the victim of a violent home invasion & robbery at 1 am in the morning. I took a very solid hit from a lunatic with a baseball bat, but luckily was not badly hurt, I managed to fight the bastard off, & when I finally got through to 000 5 cop cars turned up within about 7 minutes. It may well have been the most terrifying experience of my life. There was an 18 year old girl renting a room in my house so when I heard some strange noises in the early hours of the morning I thought it was just her banging drawers etc. Then a loud male voice from outside my bedroom door said “GIVE ME YOUR MONEY AND YOUR JEWELRY OR I WILL SHOOT YOU” I jumped out of bed, put on a pair of shorts, grabbed a baseball bat from my wardrobe and opened my bedroom door, I was only halfway through the door when this wild man rushed me swinging his own baseball bat straight at my head. It all happened so fast, and bear in mind I was half asleep, luckily I came awake fairly quickly and held my bat at a 45 degree angle in front of my head, the bat took the main force of the blow. His bat bounced off and caught me on top of my right shoulder which made my whole arm briefly go numb. Needing to gain a little time & to get the feeling back in my arm I slammed and locked my bedroom door & called 000, (I also hit my house alarm button and the bloody thing did not work) as soon as I reported to the police I knew I had to go back out and front the bastard again because I could hear the young girl sobbing in her bedroom, my biggest worry was that he was not alone. Luck was with me, the coward had bolted with only Alison’s old laptop, her new iPhone and $15 cash. On the same night he robbed at least 2 other places near my house, mine was the only one that included violence. Across the water a couple were asleep on the lounge downstairs while the intruders went through their upstairs bedrooms, one of which contained 3 children under 6 years old. I have absolutely no doubt had I not been able to block the vicious blow aimed at my head I would more than likely have wound in hospital or the morgue.

Theme from Rocky - James Last Orchestra feat. Derek Watkins

Watch this video on YouTube

Family dinner in Port Macquarie.

Two of my brothers Warren & Ian, Warren’s wife Kerry & family friend Chris Lockwood.

Warren & Ian with our Uncle Allan.

Allan Herd our uncle was without a doubt the toughest bravest Herd that ever lived. We travelled to Port Macquarie to present him with a family history photo book I had just finished. His 2nd World War experiences were absolutely remarkable. My brush with violence as I previously described is almost embarrassing compared to the horror he experienced. The title of this post Travel and danger fits Allan to a tee, I have never heard of anyone who was exposed to as much danger as this brave man.

Well into his 90s Allan was as sharp as a tack.

Allan had a terrific sense of humor, describing the English soldiers on the Burma railway he remarked “those pommies had no stamina, they started dying within a week”. Please note I mean no offence to the thousands of brave British soldiers, this was just a comment from an old Aussie warrior.

Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast.

The fabulous Surfers Paradise skyline.

Alan Kendall from Sydney on his catamaran

Alan is a nice guy who loves his sailing.

From the Sea wall on the Gold Coast

A fascinating view of the high rise buildings.

Bondi Beach with Joan Baptiste

I travelled to Sydney in February with Bill & Joan, check out the photos on this post.

Nikki & Tony Murphy

Tony & I have been friends for nearly 30 years, here he is with his lovely lady Nikki.

Lloyd Ross

Chinese food and a few drinks with my good mate Lloydy.

Melbas on the park

lloyd’s 2nd office and my favourite bar. On July 10 2019 Melbas celebrated it’s 38th anniversary, I was lucky enough to be on the coast at the time. Check out THIS LINK.

Peter Hesky & his children

Another friend of around 33 years, Peter is almost a recluse in Sydney these days with his Labradors, sadly I never hear from him any more.

Ettalong Central coast of NSW

Driving up the NSW coast to Port Macquarie I travelled through Ettalong for a dose of nostalgia. As kids we used to always spend our annual holidays here and Booker Bay.

Celebrating Xmas at the Shitterer’s house.

In 2013 Les Scheffer & his wife Robyn placed me on their blacklist after many years of being friends. Now in 2018 I must admit my life is better without them in it. 🙂

Thanks for visiting my Travel plus danger in 2010 photo blog.

Glen Frey says it better than I can.

Here are some more posts to check out

Life 2015 Family history Life 1982

Adelaide 1972 Iron Bar Freddy Sydney 2006

Thailand 2008 Gold Coast Babes World trip 2003

Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book

through these links below. Book now & pay later.

Free Cancellation.

Bangkok Hotels Pattaya Hotels

Brazil Hotels

That’s all folks

Pattaya live webcam

A-One hotel on Beach Road

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.

Brazil Hotels

Soi Cowboy Nana Plaza Patpong

Australian adventures

Great Ocean Road

Melbourne

Port Macquarie

Sydney landmarks

Australian seafood

Mr Wong

Remembering Melbas

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

Brisbane

My life in 2003

Pattaya live webcam

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Amazing Iguazu Falls Brazil

August 19, 2014 by David Herd

Amazing Iguazu Falls Brazil are the most spectacular falls I have ever seen. Sadly I have not been to Niagara or Victoria falls to make a comparison .

Amazing Iguazu Falls Brazil

It was 1999 and my first digital camera took rather poor photos.

Dalia from Bolivia at Foz.

This is my lovely friend Dalia from Santa Cruz in Bolivia, we traveled by the “Death Train” from Santa Cruz to the Brazilian border & crossed at Corumba, then by bus through the Pantanal to Foz do Iguazu.

Dalia sleeping on the “Death Train”.

There are several theories as to how this name came to be. One theory is that the mosquitoes are so bad during the rainy season, you’ll get “eaten alive” throughout the entire long trip, or contract malaria and die later. Another theory is that people riding on top of the train (not uncommon) fall asleep and fall to their deaths (quite uncommon). Actually, it is called the Death Train because many workers died while building this railroad.

Quijarro on the border.

We walked across the border and caught a taxi to the customs office, it reminded me of the last frontier in the wild west. My suspicions were aroused when the border guard asked for a credit card to prove I had money. When he disappeared with the card & my passport I knew I was in trouble. Sure enough 2 weeks later when I was in Salvador my credit card was cancelled by the bank. $13,000 had been charged all over Brazil, luckily Visa were very quick to advance me $3000 to get me through the trip. On returning to Australia I just signed a few forms & everything was fixed.

Amazing Iguazu Falls Brazil

When she saw Iguazu Falls, the United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed “Poor Niagara!” (which, at 50 m or 165 feet, are a third shorter). Often Iguazu Falls also is compared with Victoria Falls in Southern Africa, which separates. Iguazu is wider, but because it is split into approximately 275 discrete falls and large islands, Victoria has the largest curtain of water in the world, at more than 1,600 m (5,249 ft) wide and over 100 m (328 ft) in height (in low flow Victoria is split into five by islands; in high flow it may uninterrupted). The only wider falls are extremely large rapid-like falls, such as the Boyoma Falls.

Wonderful view from Brazilian side

I certainly want to visit this amazing place again. Next time I will have a far better camera. 🙂

Itaipu Dam

hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. The name “Itaipu” was taken from an isle that existed near the construction site. In the Guaraní language, Itaipu means “the sounding stone”.

Dalia at the Falls

After a few days at the falls Dalia & I parted ways, she went back to Bolivia & I went to meet friends in Brazil.

Iguazu falls from the Brazilian side.

Next trip I will also see the Argentinian side of the falls.

Amazing Iguazu Falls Brazil The Devils throat

Without a doubt this visit was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Churrascaria

In modern restaurants rodízio service is typically offered. Passadores (meat waiters) come to the table with knives and a skewer, on which are speared various kinds of meat, In most parts of Brazil, the churrasco is roasted with charcoal. In the south of Brazil, however, mostly close to the borders of Argentina and Uruguay, embers of wood are also used.

Beautiful Dalia, 23 years old.

Such a beautiful young girl, I often wonder about her and hope she is well and happy.

Here are some more posts to check out

Istanbul Budapest London

Mostar Dubrobnik Split

Saigon Zagreb Vung tau

Bangkok Hotels Pattaya Hotels

Brazil Hotels

Pattaya live webcam

That’s all folks

After you see Iguazu falls head across to the coast for a Brazilian surprise.

Post by Travel blogger Fivestarvagabond.com”.

Check out these great photo blogs.

Rio beach babes

Florianopolis Brazil

Bangkok river ferry

Fabulous HCMC

Amazing World Food

Lyme Regis Jurassic coast

Hiroshima Japan

Sydney Harbour

Lake Como Lake Garda Italy

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Chinatown Hyde Park Darlinghurst

August 4, 2014 by David Herd

Town Hall Sydney

Chinatown Hyde Park Darlinghurst

Chinatown Hyde Park Darlinghurst may not be as well known as other Sydney icons, however it’s the area where I like to stay when I visit Sydney. In fact this is not in any of those districts mentioned in the title, it is right in the city centre, Chinatown is 3 blocks further down George St.

Relax among the skyscrapers around Chinatown Hyde Park Darlinghurst

Walking from Town Hall to Chinatown nestled among the tall buildings are many places where people can relax & eat lunch.

China Republic World Square Sydney

Upmarket Chinese restaurant in the World Square.

View from the Laughing Buddha bar.

I would sit in this bar at happy hour and watch the passing parade before wandering down to Chinatown for dinner.

The Laughing Buddha.

Friendly little bar next to Chinatown on the corner of Liverpool & George St Sydney.

Corner Campbell & George St Sydney.

Capital Square Hotel is in this building and is very good value, rooms are quite good and there is a Starbucks downstairs where you can access free wifi. The hotel charges an outrageous amount for their wifi.

Pensione hotel in George St.

Pensione is another good value hotel with free wifi and a good bar on the ground floor. Rooms are rather small but the location is terrific, you walk out the back door and you are in Chinatown.

Railway Square in Sydney.

George St beside Central Station.

ANZAC War Memorial in Hyde Park

The ANZAC War Memorial, completed in 1934, is the main commemorative military monument of Sydney, Australia. It was designed by C. Bruce Dellit, with the exterior adorned with monumental figural reliefs and sculptures by Rayner Hoff.

Anzac War Memorial in Hyde Park

The memorial is located at the southern extremity of Hyde Park on the eastern edge of Sydney’s central business district, and it is the focus of commemoration ceremonies on Anzac Day, Armistice Day and other important occasions.