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Friday, November 14, 2025

Bondi Beach Australia

#Bondi_Beach_Australia

The Aboriginal name of Boondi means "Water Breaking Over Rocks"
Once private land, it was declared a public beach in 1881 after the local government intervened to prevent that right from being terminated

Fun Facts
A) The original blue-green exterior of the Apple iMac computer was named "Bondi Blue" from the colors of the water here at the beach
B) Filming location for many films and the reality TV Series Bondi Rescue, which has brought the area to an international audience
C) In the 1930s & 40s gymnasts would entertain the visitors with their skill in the sand, which led to the term "beachobatics"

 

The Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club

Iconic Ocean Pools
In 1929 the Iceberg Winter Swimming Club was established by the Bondi Surf Bathers members
 Some who wanted to continue their swimming plus fitness regime during the colder winter season
But now both are run as separate entities
Interesting Fact
It requires its members to swim on three of four Sundays per month and must be fulfilled for five consecutive years to maintain your good standing

Bondi Surf Bathers 
Founded in 1907, this volunteer organization is the worlds oldest lifeguard outfit
It has performed over 27,000 rescues to date 

Black Sunday
In 1938, there were 35,000 people on the beach that day because of a heatwave, then a series of massive waves swept around 200 people into the sea
 The 70 Bondi Lifeguards rescued dozens, but unfortunately five lost their lives

The area has always been known for a powerful rip current at the south end of the beach, so much that the locals call it the "Backpackers Express"
 Because the tourists who are unsuspecting or just do not heed the warnings, then often
 get caught up in it



Summer Olympics

In the beginning of this idea to host the Beach Volleyball competition here were met with much backlash plus protest
The area would be off limits for months; with cultural events, local tenants plus businesses would face a huge disruption

But then home town pride kicked in, so the 10,000 seat stadium was constructed in just six weeks
 and as history has showed us;
Bondi was everything the City of Sydney (plus the country of Australia) was trying to project to the world
Fun, Friendly and a Little Cheeky 


Coogee Coastal Walk
From the local Aboriginal word "Koojay" which means stinking seaweed from the decaying kelp that would wash ashore
The infrastructure was the result of the State Government project to create work during the 1930s Great Depression

Few Things to Look For

A) MacKenzie Bay; located as you leave Bondi before Tamarama 
 It sometimes has a sandy beach depending on shifting tides and seasons
 Occasionally staying concealed for years

B) Gordons Bay; it is a protected aquatic reserve and home to an underwater trail
It allows divers or snorkelers to explore by following the chain and concrete drums

C) Whales; from the clifftops plus lookouts you can spot humpbacks during their
migration from May to November

D) Shark Arm Murder Mystery; in 1935 on Coogee Beach when a tiger shark was captured for a local aquarium, it brought up a human arm with a distinctive tattoo.
This led to an investigation that uncovered a complex murder plot


Waverley Cemetery
 
Did You Know
Each type of coin left at a headstone holds a different meaning
A penny signifies that you visited and want to thank the veteran for their service, a nickel left at the grave means you trained at bootcamp with the deceased serviceperson, while a dime suggests you served with them 



The cemetery was established in 1877 and is known for its
Victorian and Edwardian monuments


Sculptures by the Sea
Its the worlds largest free outdoor exhibition

From its humble beginnings;
 The exhibition was held as an one-day event to now with its global reach that attracts
 500,000 visitors each year
It is a temporary gallery that runs for around three weeks each October, as remember we are dealing with the coastal location plus weather so the window to view is short

Moving Forward
The event has a "Decade Club" to acknowledge the artists who was exhibited for at least ten times, with a few reaching Double Decade Club status 


Near the trail look for the Aboriginal rock carvings, which is a form of ancient storytelling 
I read the engravings were done by "Pecking" the soft sandstone with pointed stones or seashells
 then basically connecting the dots to form the lines


Wedding Cake Island
The name is derived from the white caps that break over the rocks
or
 The large amount of bird droppings (guano) which can appear to be like an iced cake

Fun Facts
A) A young pig managed to swim to the island in 1922 then got stranded, with initial reports of noises from the uninhabited rock, a local man went out and rescued the little guy
The next day in the newspaper a nicknamed was born; Porky Crusoe
B) ANZAC Day commemoration, the local surfers paddle out with beer and drinks to toast and honor those fallen war heroes
C) Australian rock band Midnight Oil  did an instrumental song after being inspired by the island, its called Bird Noises
D) Swim Challenge; a 2.4km single lap open water event which many
 consider a "rite of passage" to compete


Sunsets
The vibrant orange and red colors are caused by the suns light traveling through more air, which it then scatters the shorter wavelengths thus allowing the longer wavelengths to been seen

All that being said, Bondi Beach faces east with the sun going down in the west, but its still awesome

Continuing After Sundown
People gather on the north shore of Bondi to have drinks, picnics or watch
 the last surfers catching waves



It is visited by around 3 million people, i feel fortunate to have been one of those
So as they say in Australian "Thanks Heaps" Bondi 😎

Thursday, November 13, 2025

Thrihnukagigur Volcano Iceland

#Thrihnukagigur_Volcano_Iceland 

After being dropped off from Reykjavik (30 minutes) we begin our 1.6km (1 mile) walk to the base camp

Now this adventure is not cheap ($400 US)
 But it includes one or two guides, instructional briefings, plus the fact we are able to go
 and view the magma chamber
Which is the only opportunity in the world to do this type of journey
 

 


Iceland averages a volcanic emission every three to four years because of the Eurasian and North American plates that are grinding here

Of the 130 volcanoes located here, the active ones which are located under icesheets are called subglacial eruptions
This creates many of the prominent topographic features here in this country

Life and Culture

A) Although harsh, the lava fields are often covered in a thick layer of green moss which contrasts with the dark rocks
B) At the Eldhraun location it was used by the Apollo 11 crew to train
 for their moonwalk
C) The Dimmuborgir lava fields has served as a filming location for several movies plus the HBO Series; Game of Thrones 
D) Inside the Viogelmir lava cave, archeologists have found
 Viking-era bones and jewelry
E) After the 2010 eruption at Eyjafjallajokull it created two new craters which were named after the sons of Thor; Magni and Mooi

Street Sign
Well i never expected to find one out here 😆

Fun Facts
Stop Signs at one time were yellow, but changed to the universal color of red in 1954
The sign shapes do have meaning; Octagon always means Stop, Diamond is used for Warnings, Rectangle for Speed Limits and Directions, plus a Circle typically warns of a Railroad Crossings

Unusual Signs
In our world we do have some unique ones, such as kangaroo, camel or dogsled crossings
But this one i took a photo of, SHOULD be included on that list jajajjaja


Basalt Lava Rocks
This is a natural filtration system which produces some of the purest water on Earth
But its a decades long process, as the glacial meltdown (plus rainfall) takes many years to slowly seep through the layers of porous rocks before emerging into the springs
Because the water is so pure, it requires a minimal treatment before reaching the taps as no chlorine or other chemicals are needed


As we get near, i am told by one of our guides that Thrihnukagigur (Three Peaks Crater) was discovered in 1974 by cave explorer Arui B Stefansson
 Which then opened the area for this unique type of Ecotourism in 2012
He was lower by his friends using a ropes to become the first human to see the magma empty chamber after a period of 4,000 years of inactivity

Moving Forward
This is the only volcano in the world where visitors can descend to the bottom


Base Camp
This unique facility is flown in by helicopter (also the elevator inside the volcano) each season then removed 
The area is only accessed by guided hike and no driving is allowed to here, as the location is in the water reservation area for Reykjavik

We get a safety briefing
 Then fitted with helmets plus a harnesses and i would also suggest bringing a jacket, as the
temperature really drops once inside the volcano


The final steep climb of 50 meters (150 feet) for our ride to the Centre of the Earth


The special lift can hold seven or eight people depending of size
 with a total of fifteen for each tour to the floor
It is based on those to wash windows of tall buildings but modified as an open scaffold system for viewing

In 2010 National Geographic used a bridge apparatus to cross the crater as their were filming a documentary inside the volcano
After that, a non-profit company started in 2004 which developed the current tour


Claustrophobic
Had one of the six grab my arm;  just close your eyes and use visualization of this as an open space, within minutes we had lots of vastness


At first we were bouncing from side to side but then the area opens up as we are
 lowered 120 meters (400 feet)

Look closely and you can see the safety cables to guide us to the bottom


I used one of my fellow visitors to highlight the size of the magma chamber

How big you ask;
 The height could fit the Statue of Liberty, with room to spare
 and the ground space is almost three basketball courts


The walls of the magma chamber are that colorful due to the mineral deposits from the volcanic activity
Red caused by iron deposits,
Blue is created by sodalite, Yellow is the result of sulfur and Green comes from copper


Instead of the chamber being filled up and plugged with the cooling lava, the magma appears to have simply withdrawn through tunnels plus arteries
Scientists call this as a "pristine collapse" as the area remained intact instead of a cave in or solidifying

So because this magma had to go somewhere
 One NEEDS to follow the safety markers on the floor, as there could certainly be a crevasse or an
 abyss with your name on it waiting for you


Kaleo
The band from Iceland did a music video of their song "Way Down We Go" inside the magma chamber Which created a visually stunning backdrop and also showcasing their roots from this country 




Volcano Facts

A) There are more than 1500 active on Earth with the tallest Mauna Loa in Hawaii

B) The largest in our Solar System is Olympus Mons on Mars

C) The ash is not soft as it consists of sharp rock fragments which can be carried for hundreds of kilometers that are dangerous for airplanes
For example in 2010 with the Eyjafjallajokull eruption
It caused unprecedented chaos with over 100,000 flights cancelled over an eight day period, costing the airlines billions of dollars of lost revenue



Here comes my return ride
 The entire tour (including the hike) takes about four hours
Have a hot drink or a bowl of soup (lamb or vegetable) at the base camp to warm you up
 before the return transportation back to the city


At the base camp before you trek back to the dropoff / pickup point

 The Lava Shop has apparel (sweaters, hats, gloves etc) with the "Inside the Volcano" logo plus other souvenirs related to the tour
Please Note;
 These items are only available here physically and not online through the website

All which helps keep this experience to stay open for our future adventurous travelers


Thanks Thrihnukagigur Volcano
 For a journey i will never forget in my lifetime!