Craig Hoyt Gilman's Personal Page 2003. 

2003 began in Seoul, Korea teaching high school social studies at Korea International School. 
 
The 2002/2003 school year ended on Friday, June 13th.  On Sunday June 15th I was in Sydney, Australia where I meet Wes and Cheryl, friends from Virginia Beach whom I would travel Australia with, and Matt and Flavia, a couple from Australia that I taught with while in Japan a few years back.  A trip to Cairns for four days aboard the ProDive for diving the Great Barrier Reef followed by five days of touring the "Outback" from the back of a jeep with Wes and Cheryl and other friendly travelers.   
 
(Click on the pictures below and they will enlarge.)
 
"The" Opera House, Sydney.  Not one prone to take the ubiquitous "tourist" photographs, the charm and appeal of the Sydney Opera House is undeniable.  A must see, the best view is from the "Rocks" side of the harbor.  On the far side, is a lovely green space.  Good pubs in the Rocks, some with their own brew. Matt seemed to know how to find them!  Thanks Matt!
 
 
 
 Sydney Bridge.  Unfortunately, I did not have time to climb to the top and the price, as well as the walk, was a little steep.  (chuckle here... please!)  Wes and Cheryl enjoyed it, wind and all.  They recommend it. 
 
 
 
Wes & Cheryl, Matt & Flavia, and five cold, gold ones in Sydney!  (The "fifth was for me!)  Luckily for us, Matt spend more than one of his college evenings learning the streets and pubs of the area.  Such local knowledge proved quite beneficial this night.  Thanks Matt!
 
 
 
Me down under, down under, over the Great Barrier Reef.  I learned to swim about the same time I learned to walk.  I got my scuba license before I got my driving license.  Diving the Great Barrier Reef has always been a dream.  Finally, it has now become a worthwhile memory. I enjoyed an 11-dive, two-night stay aboard the ProDive, run by the shop ProDive out of Cairns.  I highly recommend it.  By the way... the turtle won the race. 
 
 
 
A Great Barrier Reef sunset. The picture tells it all.  Uhmmm...needs a Corona bottle in the bottom left corner.
 
 
 
 
Between dives.  A little light reading while waiting for the nitrogen to leave my bloodstream... OK, so it was a really serious history book - shoot me!  I like this kind of stuff.  I'm a history teacher all ready - geez! 
 
 
 
The crew... and what a crew!  Great dives don't normally happen with out a lot of hard work by great crews.  These guys were some of the best I've dove with and with over 25 years of diving, I dove with a few idiots... trust me on that.  ProDive in Cairns, Australia is highly recommended.  
 
 
 
If you dive from Cairns, go ProDive - they were great!  Four days of diving.  Countless and indescribable tropical fishes, moray eels, turtles, sharks, Minke Whales, corals, and other things I can't spell were all a part of this adventure.  
 
 
 
Laura, our outback guide, worth two Dundees! ...except when she got the vehicle stuck in a bog and expected Wes and I to push it out of the mud, which, despite our best efforts, did not happen.  By the way, highways in the Outback are not paved...
 
 
 
A view of the outback... subtitled, ha! the snake missed me!!!  It was one of those rock climbs that did not seem so bad on the way up...  That really pretty, colorful snake in the crevice that I stuck my fist into trying to get a handhold on the way up, was luckily a little groggy from sleep...
 
 
 
Drying my socks...  Hey, there are no electric clothes dryers out there.  Besides, it gave me an excuse to play with the fire.  Laura said I could. 
 
 
 
 
Proud Aboriginals!  Great people.  Great history.  And now, a great little culture park outside of Cairns to promote their history.  If you get to Cairns, North Queensland, visit their culture park, Tjapukai. 
 
 
 
Mr. Kuala, not fond of cameras... geez!  Kualas are not always cute and cuddly.  Every time I tried to take this guys picture, he gave me quite an attitude.  I had to bribe him to come close enough for a picture... don't tell the park ranger!
 
 
 
Didgeridoo.  Do?  ...I didn't ...couldn't. Not as easy as it looks, but as interesting as it sounds.  This guy told me to practice at home on a vacuum cleaner tube...  Do you think he learned that way?  Doo?... oh no! One guy started to play his and a rather disgruntled gecko came out the other end.
 
 
 
Mr. "go around me, I dare you" Monitor... not going anywhere, geez!!  If you think the crocs have an attitude, you have not meet this guy.  He would not get out of the way so we had to park the vehicle and walk the rest of the way to the beach... giving him a wide berth, mind you. 
 
 
 
Me and da Aboriginal boyz... Just hanging around the outback.  Luckily, the person who I gave my camera to was smart enough to frame the picture with out the McDonald's bag lunch in the picture.
 
 
 
 
Mr. "go away, tourist" Croc.  The local driving the boat giving us the "crocodile" tour was no more intelligent than the guy in the picture here... that is being diplomatic.  This "guide" told us "the croc keeps his mouth open to scare the boats away."  He obviously does not watch Discovery channel.
 
 
 
Wes, Roo, and me on the farm... only Roo can read...  Wes has taken to bringing his Rapid Interpretation of EKGs book along with him on his trips... with me... hummm.  Anyway, Roo apparently has an interest in medicine as well.  ...who would you choose?
 
 
 
Outback (no hot water) shower... watch your step!  OK, so we could not shower under the falls.  But finding hot water was no simple task, either.  Luckily, it was still plenty warm even in the Outback autumn... which was in June...  
 
 

Cheryl knew too much... no private investigators, please! (It was Wes's idea, really!) By the way, does anyone know what happened to Wes? ...hummm. 

 

 

Two days in Sydney, followed by two weeks in Queensland was a well-earned and well enjoyed break with friends and nature, but not nearly enough time for anything but a small taste of what Australia seems to have to offer.  I hope to get back there again soon.  If it were not for dear ol' mom, it might have been two months... or years...  Anyway, from Australia I headed to my "original" hometown of West Long Branch, New Jersey, USA to see my mom, two brothers, Brian and Eric, and some friends over the 4th of July weekend on the Jersey shore. 
 

Known as mom or "Jackie," she is still going strong. 

After spending some time with mom, it was off to Virginia Beach, my "new" hometown.  Thanks to Don, Brooke, Nick and Wyatt for sharing their home with me for a month.  Thanks to Tom, Lynn, Brad and Ginny for letting me borrow a car.  Thanks to Drew, Sue, Daniel, Nathan, and Johnny for all the G&Ts and dinners they fed me.  This picture was taken in Rudee Inlet by Jim Zell, a well-known local photographer and fishing friend.  

In my element = kayak, fishing pole, a cold beer (somewhere), and an approaching sunset... Rudee Inlet.

2003 ended in Puerto Galera, Philippines, scuba diving in the South China Sea. 

Above and between dives: Filipino children playing on the beach.

OK, so I need to get better underwater photography equipment.  Anyone who has dove tropical waters will know that the colors and variety of sea life to be found on a healthy tropical reef are beyond description.  Put underwater photography on my list of hobbies needing improvement. 

Leaving the leisurely life of wake, eat, dive, eat, dive, read, eat, dive, read, eat, drink, sleep, behind was not the toughest thing I will have to do in 2004...  "I will return."  - Craig Gilman - 2004

Happy Year of the Monkey!!!