On the Road - by Bob Van Leer

Singapore, Jan.4, 2002 Island Nation

By Bob Van Leer
  (SINGAPORE, Jan. 4, 2002) - We flew into this island nation yesterday after a 27 hour trip from Medford. We will board a cruise ship, the Crown Odyssey, here but first we have a couple of days to explore Singapore.

Bali, Indonesia, Jan. 8, 2002 Fabled Bali

By Bob Van Leer..............
(BALI, INDONESIA, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2002) - Our ship dropped anchor this morning at the fabled island of Bali.

Komodo, Indonesia Jan. 9, 2002

By Bob Van Leer
(KOMODO ISLAND, Indonesia, Wed. Jan. 9, 2002) - Today we went for a long hike in the woods to see the fabled Komodo dragon in his lair.
We anchored in the island harbor after an overnight run from Bali.

Darwin, Australia, Jan. 12 2002 The "Top End"

By Bob Van Leer
(DARWIN, Australia - Jan. 12, 2002) - This is the northernmost city in Australia with a population of about 90,000. The locals refer to this part of the state as "The Top End".

Cairns, Australia, Jan 17, 2002 Most Northerly

By Bob Van Leer
( CAIRNS, Australia - Thursday, Jan. 17, 2002) - After three days at sea we arrived in Cairns, a city of about 130,000 people, the most northerly city on the east coast of Australia.

Brisbane, Australia, Jan 22, 2002 Barrier Reef Is The Largest

By Bob Van Leer
(BRISBANE, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2002) - The past couple of days we were exploring the Great Barrier Reef.

Sydney, Australia, Jan 23, 2002 Largest City

By Bob Van Leer
(SYDNEY, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2002) - This city of 4 million people is the largest in Australia. It is more than 20% of the population of the whole country (19.1 million).

Hobart, Tasmania, Jan 28, 2002 Smallest State

By Bob Van Leer
(HOBART, Tasmania, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2002) - This is the smallest of the six states (and one territory) that make up Australia. It is a triangular island off the southeast coast of the mainland.

Milford Sound, N.Z. Jan. 31, 2002 Milford Sound is Breathtaking

By Bob Van Leer
(MILFORD SOUND, New Zealand, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2001) - Early this morning we entered the majestic Milford Sound, a glacier-carved fiord on the southwest coast of South Island, New Zealand.

Tauranga, N.Z. Jan. 31, 2002 Little Yellowstone

By Bob Van Leer
(TAURANGA, New Zealand, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2002) - In the past several days, we visited three small New Zealand cities and the capital of the country, Wellington.

Auckland, N.Z. Feb 6, 2002 Disembark at Auckland, N.Z.

By Bob Van Leer
(AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2002) - We disembarked the Crown Odyssey yesterday after 31 days aboard.