Korčula, 'the birthplace of Marco Polo' according to the locals

Captain Tony tells us of the worst weather of the season forecast for tomorrow. He plans to leave Korčula at 5am and reach a protected bay for shelter on the island of Hvar before the big storm really hit.


In the meantime, the sun shines. After a morning swimming off the boat, Željko the cook has prepared another big lunch under thte awning covering the back deck - a Dalmatian staple of slow-cooked fish and langoustine. Time for siesta before sailing on to Korčula, said to be the home of Marco Polo.

Entrance to the old walled city of Korcula

Rounding a headland, a wedge of land with a mosaic of terracotta rooftops, encircled by old medieval walls, juts out into the blue of the Adriatic. Mountains surround us. Sergio takes us to shore in the rubber ducky to walk through the old town. During dinner the storm hits! Streets flow with water and rain buckets down on us as we bounce on the speeding rubber ducky back to hot coffee on 'Linda'. 

Edmundo and Michael outside the walls of the old town of Korčula

The storm rained itself out as we slept but we weighed anchor at daybreak to make it to shelter at the next protected bay on Hvar before the forecast heavy winds made the going too rough.

HVAR - Is it Mykonos, Sitges, or Cannes?

No, it is Hvar, the latest 'in vogue' spot for sun and fun on an island off the Dalmatian coast - and at half the price of the Mediterranean.

Hvar old town

Victor and Patrick, Edmundo, John and LP in Hvar

First stop on the island of Šipan

30th August 2010
Freshly caught sea bream grilled to perfection, washed down with a light local summer white - the ripest of red tomatoes in the salad, dressed by olive oil from Tony the captain's own olive trees; a perfect start to the holiday sitting on the aft deck of 'Linda', moored alongside other yachts in the harbour of the small village of  Šipanska Luka, a village on the northern part of Šipan island, at the end of a 2.5 kilometre bay. We are only a couple of hours sailing from Dubrovnik, but already many years from any hustle and bustle.

Our 27-metre, Linda

Three hours under motor and we glide into the peaceful saltwater 'Great Lake' on the island of Mljet. It's been designated a Nation al Park to protect the holm oak and Aleppo pine forests. Over the mountain is the smaller lake with the 12th century Benedictine Monastery of St Mary in the middle.

The little isle of St. Mary in the Great lake, with an ancient Benedictine monastery and a church dating from 12th century.

"All friends on deck" - four of us have known each other for nearly 50 years!

"Sailing Close to the Wind" - and we haven't even gone to sea yet!

28th August 2010

"We must leave port at 5.30 latest or we cannot leave until tomorrow", says Alan's text message.

He and the others are already on board our motor sailing gulet, 'Linda'. Edmundo and I are stuck in a long queue at the border of Montenegro and Croatia on our way back from visiting the island of Sveti Stefan. We were indeed sailing close to the wind but we didn't miss the boat.

Old stone fishermen's cottages on the little island of Sveti Stefan, now an Aman Resort in Montenegro

We would have indeed 'missed the boat' if not for our resourceful young Croatian driver, basketballer, Ivan. We knew we were cutting it fine with the timing but Ivan found a Russian from Dubrovnik on the car ferry who told him of an alternative route across the border. 

Edmundo and our driver, Ivan

We followed the Russian around single track mountainous roads to the other border crossing where waiting time in the queue was more reasonable. We drove along barren mountainsides of harsh karst rock stretching down to a sparkling green sea, but inland, there was a greener beauty with hills of olives, vines and tall cypress scattered randomly in unison or in profusion across a landscape creating a wonderful picture-book vista. Sun beds by the thousand adorned stretches of beach for Europeans to come and bake. I felt shrivelled to a crisp just looking down at them as we sped past.

After all the driving and drama, we didn't have time to negotiate our way into the new Aman property across a little causeway on the island of Sveti Stefan. It's taken them two years to convert all the stone fishermen's cottages on the island into luxury individual apartments for their guests. 

"Take me to the Hilton"

Phew! Dubrovnik is hot. It teems with so many tourists. It's like a Disneyland.


My room in the little 3-Star Hotel Stari-grad within the walls of the old city is quaint but I didn't feel that way last night lugging a 26kg suitcase up four flights of steps to my room. Not only for my knees, but I was tired after a 21-hour, door to door marathon on three flights from Beijing to Dubrovnik. And, after all that, I didn't get to fly on the new Lufthansa A380. It now starts only next week. 

Only seagulls for company, on the roof of the hotel sipping my orange juice at breakfast

All is forgiven now, however . . .

lazing over breakfast up on the roof with my own personal view of the tiled roofs and walls of this old city . . .

taking the shade of the less crowded side alleyways at lunchtime loving the smells of the fish grilling, pizza cooking, onions frying . . . .

wandering through the markets tempted by the tables of plump grapes, rosy-cheeked apricots, striped purple figs, and flowers from the back garden.

Morning markets in Dubrovnik

In Beijing - the Contemporary that is Traditional

Beijing is charging into the 21st century - it's hard to believe that on my first visit here in 1985, there was not one single neon light; the traffic jams were with bicycles; and at the one major hotel, you had to line up at  breakfast to put a slice of bread through a toaster that really didn't do anything.. 


My hotel, the hip new Opposite House, is part of a major retail and restaurant re-development in the east of Beijing. The name derives from the Chinese traditional courtyard architecture in which a secondary structures sits opposite the main residence. In the overall design of the whole area, the Japanese architect conceived the location of the hotel as the Opposite House. His use of natural woods throughout including sinks and bathtubs is also opposite to what other luxe properties feature.

Stark but stunning corridor of natural wood

Art Exhibitions are a major feature of the ground floor areas of the hotel.

 Painstakingly sewn shards of broken pottery recovered from ancient archeological digs, Li Xiaofeng has created 'porcelain clothing' at Opposite House, Beijing.

I decide to take a tour of the old hutongs and step away from the hordes following flags hoisted in the air and slip into the quiet of a traditional Chinese double courtyard house with a walled garden to find the smaller authentic version of an opposite house.

The walled gardens in the 1920's Guo Moro traditional Chinese double courtyard house signify the basis of Taoism - related to nature. 'No action' is the primary goal Taoists try to attain. "This walled garden is not only of 'nature' but it separates you from society", says my Chinese guide, Allen.

I have read so much about the 798 Art Zone District . . . but what I see is a little too contemporary for my tastes. What is wonderful though is to see that the younger generation appear to be fearless, and enjoy a role and a voice in the 'new China'.

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In the evening, I go for a wonderful Peking duck dinner at Duck de Chine in the new and  celebrated 1949 'Hidden Village'.

The 1949 Beijing Machinery and Electric Institute factory in the industrial suburb of Sanlitun is now a hip conclave of wonderful restaurants, including Duck de Chine.

Old and New in Singapore

For a small island in the tropics,Singapore never ceases to amaze.  


The Singapore that was . . . in a small street near my hotel.

The Singapore that is . . . with the Sands SkyPark infinity pool floating 200 metres in the sky atop the three soaring Marina Bay Sands Hotel towers. On a clear day you can see Indonesia!

Difficult to fathom that this pool goes over the edge - 200 metres up in the sky!

The new Singapore Marina Bay Sands Hotel with the SkyPark cantilevered out over the top

LOST OR STOLEN?

I was reading the now famous Stieg Larsson "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" most of the way from Sydney to Singapore so I placed my everyday 'distance' spectacles in their little orange case in the 'safe' cubby hole in the seat in front of me.

Singapore Airlines A380

You guessed it. I walked off the plane in my 'readers'. I soon realised my mistake, (as I nearly tripped down the escalators to Immigration at Changi), and rushed back to the gate where passengers were still being disgorged from the big A380. An attractive young lady offered to go on board but didn't return. With all the passengers now on their way, another escorted me on board. There was a conflab of crew around my seat and all I could see was an empty cubby hole where I know I had carefully placed the orange case.


One of the bossier stewardesses (in a 'red' sarong kebaya that denotes seniority), whom I had observed during the flight as a possible casting choice for 'Madame Lash' with a well preserved figure but painted iron mask for a face, was clearly of the opinion that I had misplaced them elsewhere. "Check in your pockets! Put your case over there. Open it!" - all the time peering over my shoulder. I could almost feel the woosh of the whip.


I was then told that I had been observed during the flight wearing only the 'readers' that I now had on, and I got the impression that they thought I was making the whole story up. The cleaners had not come on at this stage, and the purser came on the scene and asked a few more questions. He called an engineer to pull the seat apart; we checked the pile of newspapers that had been taken away from around me; and then asked for my business card.


I was of the firm belief now that one of the crew was attracted to the little orange case (of a ritzy brand of spectacles that my optometrist in Sydney had given me to help me locate it more easily in my man bag), and 'lifted' them. In retrospect, it could also have been the scruffy guy with hairy legs or girlfriend in shorts and bare feet in the seats across the aisle who saw an opportunity while I was at the loo to souvenir them.


Anyway, I reported the loss to 'Lost and Found' after Immigration and their main interest seemed to be to give me a piece of paper for an Insurance claim. There was no question as to how they would get them to me (like a lost suitcase) if they turned up tomorrow! I was given a number to call  but after ringing it 10 times before leaving for Beijing next day and it never being answered, I gave up!


The concierge at the hotel directed me to a local optometrist and it will take 5 working days to make my prescription. I will not be in a hotel in a city for another 4 weeks so I'm in a 'right pickle' as they say.

Some Highlights of the Trip

On my way to Europe, I'm looking forward to my first ride on the Lufthansa A380 Airbus from Beijing to Frankfurt.

The new Lufthansa A380

And on August 28, ten of us join a 25-metre gulet in Dubrovnik to cruise amongst the islands off the Dalmatian coast for a week.

Our gulet 'LINDA'

MY ITINERARY

Click on this link for an abbreviated version of my itinerary