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Ha I wish i owned an island
Sean K
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Counting down the days to a little holiday in Mexico in May.
Taking 4 weeks off to have a bit of a break, but to also do some research for a travel company my wife and I are thinking of starting.
Spending the whole time on the Yukatan Peninsula south of Cancun, mainly around Playa del Carmen.
While it's a 'holiday' from Peru, I'll probably still be on the net during the evenings, pending wifi, and tequila.
Will probably be updating my blogspot blog with photos and stories.
Whoohooo!
Love Mexico!!!
Taking 4 weeks off to have a bit of a break, but to also do some research for a travel company my wife and I are thinking of starting.
Spending the whole time on the Yukatan Peninsula south of Cancun, mainly around Playa del Carmen.
While it's a 'holiday' from Peru, I'll probably still be on the net during the evenings, pending wifi, and tequila.
Will probably be updating my blogspot blog with photos and stories.
Whoohooo!
Love Mexico!!!
just what i thought, research, like f#$%....
u could do some research on those awesome sinkholes tho, just dont do a sheck exley and don't come back up like most of those cave divers sadly. i guess for most, its how they'd want to go anyway.
a 'little' holiday too, i'd hate to see what a long one entails...
u could do some research on those awesome sinkholes tho, just dont do a sheck exley and don't come back up like most of those cave divers sadly. i guess for most, its how they'd want to go anyway.
a 'little' holiday too, i'd hate to see what a long one entails...
Sean K
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I've been diving in the sinkholes, or cenotes. Awesome visability. Nice experience but don't need to do it again. Not enough colourful fishes to say hi to.
I'm hoping the whalesharks are swimming by earlier than normal. Haven't managed to swim with one yet...
I'm hoping the whalesharks are swimming by earlier than normal. Haven't managed to swim with one yet...
talking of sharks, i was going for a beach cray dive, and this big thing with a fin came up real close like. that was enough, i was out of there real quick.
anyway, later i learnt the dirty locals had a pet dolphin they swam with and kept it real quiet. the poor thing was lucky i didnt get the old 308 onto it.
re cenotes, i assume its the pure serenity that does it. all divers know how different and peaceful underwater is, but some is 'paradise'.
that freediving they r doing(depth records) is compelling too.
anyway, later i learnt the dirty locals had a pet dolphin they swam with and kept it real quiet. the poor thing was lucky i didnt get the old 308 onto it.
re cenotes, i assume its the pure serenity that does it. all divers know how different and peaceful underwater is, but some is 'paradise'.
that freediving they r doing(depth records) is compelling too.
Sean K
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Hmm, The way things are looking now May in Mexico might have to be amended.
Looks like travelling from Panama to Honduras might be Plan B.
Looks like travelling from Panama to Honduras might be Plan B.
Sean K
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Peru has it's first case of Pig Cough and they've cancelled all flights into and out of Mexico. So, plans delayed. F*ck it!
Sean K
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Well, taken the plunge and we're off to Cancun tonight. No piggie flu about there, so all's good. Might get some cheap accommodation. Won't be hearing much from me for the next month. I'll either be in the water diving with fishes, laying in a hammock under a coconut tree, or in a swing chair hanging from the roof of a bar on the beach drinking margaritas! Whoohoo!!
Sean K
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prawn_86
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Make sure you upload a few over on the travel forum too.
Have fun with the tequila
Have fun with the tequila
Sean K
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Will do Prawn.
Not too much wifi here which is a shame. Some in the hotel reception but not the room. Found one cafe which has free stuff and good for doing some admin.
Unfortunately the sun sets here at 7.30pm which is right when the market starts, which is making it hard to keep on top of market activity. And I'm too full of tequila by the time sun set drinks are over to do a market check....
A month of no short term trading by the look.
Damn holidays!!!!
Not too much wifi here which is a shame. Some in the hotel reception but not the room. Found one cafe which has free stuff and good for doing some admin.
Unfortunately the sun sets here at 7.30pm which is right when the market starts, which is making it hard to keep on top of market activity. And I'm too full of tequila by the time sun set drinks are over to do a market check....
A month of no short term trading by the look.
Damn holidays!!!!
Sean K
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Sean K
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Currently resting up from the hot midday Merida sun in our hotel, and checking the news.
Merida is quite a nice city, but maybe getting too much traffic through it's little streets now.
Had a good business meeting today with a lawyer and an accountact about setting up a travel company here. Was all in Spanish, which was fun.
Going on a tour to Chichen Itza tomorrow (one of the New Wonders) and back to Playa del Carmen and probably on the ferry to the island of Cozumel. One of the best dive sites in the world. We'll be taking a week to relax there and do a few dives before moving on.
Getting a nice tan happening at the moment.
Merida is quite a nice city, but maybe getting too much traffic through it's little streets now.
Had a good business meeting today with a lawyer and an accountact about setting up a travel company here. Was all in Spanish, which was fun.
Going on a tour to Chichen Itza tomorrow (one of the New Wonders) and back to Playa del Carmen and probably on the ferry to the island of Cozumel. One of the best dive sites in the world. We'll be taking a week to relax there and do a few dives before moving on.
Getting a nice tan happening at the moment.
Sean K
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1. Me and a Singapore Major in the country side.
2. Commander Sector West (second I worked for), RSM (No3) and Driver.
3. Commander (No1) and RSM (No1)
4. NZ Haka at their HQ in Suai.
5. PTE Manning Memorial in Timor
2. Commander Sector West (second I worked for), RSM (No3) and Driver.
3. Commander (No1) and RSM (No1)
4. NZ Haka at their HQ in Suai.
5. PTE Manning Memorial in Timor
Attachments
thanks mate, timor is one of the few south pacific spots i havnt been too. but then must be grt going to a country in the millitary in the respect u see the real guts of it.
what the pics dont show is the heat i presume, looks dry.
a kiwi got shot from memory or some skirmish.
its good to see australasia being more proactive in our back door.
what the pics dont show is the heat i presume, looks dry.
a kiwi got shot from memory or some skirmish.
its good to see australasia being more proactive in our back door.
Sean K
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I went to the spot the Kiwi died. There is a memorial there and I took a photo of the Kiwi CO at the time after he placed a poppy on it. Will delete one of the photos above and replace it with that.
Is a sad tail.
His patrol (I think a Section) group were approaching the top of this feature which is practically on the border with West Timor, when they started to receive fire. The Section returned fire and the militia then started throwing hand grenades down the hill on top of them. PTE Manning was seriously injured and could not move. The rest of the Section started laying down fire and firing RPGs (I think 66's) into the top of the hill, but the Militia (and probably Kopassus) had a significant advantage. There was no way they could get back to him to assist. I hope he died on the hill, but I think they may have got him still alive. Pretty ugly stuff. Was pretty emotional for me being there, along with the Kiwi patrol I was with.
Is a sad tail.
His patrol (I think a Section) group were approaching the top of this feature which is practically on the border with West Timor, when they started to receive fire. The Section returned fire and the militia then started throwing hand grenades down the hill on top of them. PTE Manning was seriously injured and could not move. The rest of the Section started laying down fire and firing RPGs (I think 66's) into the top of the hill, but the Militia (and probably Kopassus) had a significant advantage. There was no way they could get back to him to assist. I hope he died on the hill, but I think they may have got him still alive. Pretty ugly stuff. Was pretty emotional for me being there, along with the Kiwi patrol I was with.
Sean K
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I just dug this up from a web search:
Indonesian special forces 'killed UN peace-keeper in East Timor'
By Richard Lloyd Parry and Joanna Jolly in Dili
Friday, 4 August 2000
A United Nations peace-keeper who died in East Timor last month was shot by former members of the Indonesian special forces under the noses of the Indonesian authorities, military sources in Dili say.
Private Leonard Manning,from New Zealand, was killed on 24 July after an attack on East Timor's border with Indonesia that showed all the hallmarks of a military ambush carried out by trained soldiers.
In a sweep of the area after the attack, UN forces found a backpack containing military rations and survival equipment, as well as a shirt bearing the insignia of Kopassus, the special forces, which established a murderous reputation in the 24 years after the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975.
They also found the body of Private Manning, whose throat had been cut and his ears severed, another Kopassus trademark. The uniforms worn by the attackers were plain green rather than the more common camouflage style, and they also wore balaclavas, rather than the motley assortment of headgear that are favoured by the civilian militiamen.
Indonesian special forces 'killed UN peace-keeper in East Timor'
By Richard Lloyd Parry and Joanna Jolly in Dili
Friday, 4 August 2000
A United Nations peace-keeper who died in East Timor last month was shot by former members of the Indonesian special forces under the noses of the Indonesian authorities, military sources in Dili say.
Private Leonard Manning,from New Zealand, was killed on 24 July after an attack on East Timor's border with Indonesia that showed all the hallmarks of a military ambush carried out by trained soldiers.
In a sweep of the area after the attack, UN forces found a backpack containing military rations and survival equipment, as well as a shirt bearing the insignia of Kopassus, the special forces, which established a murderous reputation in the 24 years after the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975.
They also found the body of Private Manning, whose throat had been cut and his ears severed, another Kopassus trademark. The uniforms worn by the attackers were plain green rather than the more common camouflage style, and they also wore balaclavas, rather than the motley assortment of headgear that are favoured by the civilian militiamen.
i remember it now
i suspect the press was told to keep it down as it got little press for a country desperate for news(fairfax owns all bar one broadsheets and major papers).
thats the time u need yr f111's on the coast on an aircraft carrier with tanks of napalm(being burnt is meant to be one of the worst ways to die or maimed).
at least he didnt die in vain, despite the sorded history at least east timor seems deemed to be 'free', plus the poorly equiped nz defence force used his death to get new lav's quickly, unfortunately those overpriced, rediculously complex, european ones. under a strong and very pacifist labour government.
but still bugger all remember the dead, life comes along and u have to move on.
if/when new zealand finds significant oil and gas in at least one of the eight sedimentary basins it has that are relatively to totally unexplored, u wonder if it will ever get its strike airforce again. all it really has is cannon fodder. i say this in respect to the recent australian policy.
most new zealanders dont realise how close the place got to being lost in WWII or that australia was bombed etc.
i suspect the press was told to keep it down as it got little press for a country desperate for news(fairfax owns all bar one broadsheets and major papers).
thats the time u need yr f111's on the coast on an aircraft carrier with tanks of napalm(being burnt is meant to be one of the worst ways to die or maimed).
at least he didnt die in vain, despite the sorded history at least east timor seems deemed to be 'free', plus the poorly equiped nz defence force used his death to get new lav's quickly, unfortunately those overpriced, rediculously complex, european ones. under a strong and very pacifist labour government.
but still bugger all remember the dead, life comes along and u have to move on.
if/when new zealand finds significant oil and gas in at least one of the eight sedimentary basins it has that are relatively to totally unexplored, u wonder if it will ever get its strike airforce again. all it really has is cannon fodder. i say this in respect to the recent australian policy.
most new zealanders dont realise how close the place got to being lost in WWII or that australia was bombed etc.