Tutubi, ever on the trail of famous people where ever he goes, is aware that the famous explorer and naturalist Charles Darwin explored Australia, then part of the English Empire, on board the HMS Beagle but little did he know that he would stumble on the path Charles Darwin passed while he was trekking to Wentworth Falls down the magnificent Blue Mountains of Australia.

For history and science buffs, it's well known that Charles Darwin traveled on board the surveying ship HMS Beagle with extensive voyage stopping at many exotic places and took nearly five years. His voyage started on December 27, 1831 in Devonport (Plymouth) and ended on October 2, 1836.

this post really is a just another (ho-hum) tribute to the 175th anniversary of his return to England

His trip to Sydney, Australia also coincided with the exhibition of Darwin's travels to down under with exhibits at Australia Maritime Museum, which, unfortunately, Tutubi wasn't able to see due to limited time he has left that he used to meet old friends and an "inaanak" that he hasn't seen for years.

Anyway, just snapshots of places visited by Charles Darwin in Australia with markers and pathways that declare he trudge along the path in 1836.

trail markers lead to the path Charles Darwin took

Charles passed by here in 1836

Charles passed by this small waterfalls part of Wentworth Falls cascade

Charles Darwin featured at Australia Maritime Museum

Where did Charles Darwin's voyage take him?

Plymouth
Tenerife
Cape Verde
Bahia
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Montevideo
Falkland Islands (near Venezuela)
Valparaiso
Callao Lima
Galapagos
New Zealand
Sydney (Australia)
Hobart
King Geaorge's Sound
Cocos (Keeling) Island
Mauritius
Cape Town
Bahia
Cape Verde
Azores
Plymouth

Charles Darwins explorations and discoveries did not end in 1836, it was merely the beginning of his ground-shaking work: "Origin of the Species."

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Charles Darwin Voyage route map, England, Africa, America, Australia

Labels: Australia, Sydney

In a country where there are only two kinds of candidates on knowing the election results-- the winners and the cheated-- Congress on the day of official canvassing of votes for the president and vice-president was turned into a ludicrous circus when a man, wearing a hat and a face mask, appeared and made allegations of election fraud.

The May 2010 Elections whistleblower later on was called "Koala Bear" due to his appearance that triggered the bandwagon effect of all "cheated" candidates coming out in the open to tell how they were cheated as alleged by Koala Bear.


With all these stories going around, many people including Teddy Boy Locsin and Makati Mayor and Vice-presidential candidate Jejomar Binay are investigating the true identity and handler of Koala Bear, here's Tutubi's take on the real Koala Bear.

Koala Bear Unmasked: How cute and cuddly they are!

a koala sleeping snugly on a eucalyptus tree

koalas eat leaves of eucalyptus tree and drink almost no water

Calling them “koala bear” is a misnomer. Koalas are not bears but marsupials, like the kangaroos and wallabies, who have pockets on their bodies, called marsupium, in which they nurture their young. They feed on low-energy eucalyptus leaves. Endemic to Australia, they walk on four legs but also climb trees.

The Koala is an arboreal marsupial i.e. it inhabits trees

Now you know who is Koala Bear, you may now tell the "honorable" men of Congress, aided by the COMELEC and Smartmatic, to get on with official business of counting of votes instead of wasting time on the allegations of a Koala Bear without presenting proof thus delaying the formal precedings and casting doubts on the official results of the automated elections.

Related Posts:

Sharks of Sydney Aquarium
Kangaroos of Taronga Zoo
Tasmanian Devil
Amazing Bird Show

Labels: Australia, Beyond Asia, Sydney

Besides the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, kangaroos and koalas, there is another Australian icon that Tutubi was really bent on chasing for it's challenging elusiveness-- the Tasmanian Devil.

Made popular by Warner Brothers Looney Toons, although "incorrectly" represented, the Tasmanian Devil spins and eats anything in its path in search of the wily Bugs Bunny.

In reality, Looney Tune's Taz is very different from the real Tasmanian Devil, marsupials endemic to Australian island state of Tasmania. They're nocturnal mammals the size of small dogs.

In hope of even seeing one, Tutubi visited Taronga Zoo and searched for Taz sleeping inside the enclosure but to no avail. It was at the Australia Museum where he got to see the actual Tasmanian Devil but already a preserved one.

Tasmanian Devil information and photo posted near an the home of Taz in Taronga Zoo but the elusive little devil may be sleeping in his "hell hole." Note the size of tasmanian devil scaled to the holder's hand


The preserved Tasmanian Devil on display at the Australia Museum in Sydney

Tutubi dreads the day when many of today's fabulous creatures become extinct and can be seen only in books, websites, movies and museums and not in zoos or at best in their natural habitat.

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Tasmanian devil Scientific Name: Sarcophilus harrisii

Marsupials: mammals with a pouch (called marsupium), in which females carry their babies. Examples of marsupials include wallabies, kangaroos, and koalas.

Labels: Australia, Beyond Asia, Sydney

Who discovered Australia and when? A question posed by an Australian tour guide at the Blue Mountains to a group of tourists where an American replied "Capt. James Cook in 1778."

The Australian tour guide shook his head in disbelief and said that indeed Capt. James Cook arrived in 1770, not 1778, in Australia, but it would be disrespectful to the Aborigines to say he discovered the island for the Aborigines already discovered Australia thousands of years before the white men came to the land of kangaroos, emus, platypuses, koalas and wombats.

The answer of the Australian tour guide to his own question was concurred by Tutubi in that back home in his beloved Philippine Islands, most Philippine history books still erroneously state that on March 17, 1521 Ferdinand Magellan "discovered" the Philippines.

Tutubi stumbled upon Capt. James Cook monument at Hyde Park located near his hotel in Sydney CBD

The Australian aborigines arrived in Australia way before the British
came and so deserve credit for the discovery; the English merely arrived
in Australia in 1770.

The monument honors the "discoverer" of Australia with the iconic Sydney Tower in the background

On the same note, the little black people, the aborigines of the
Philippines called Aeteas or Negritos, settled on the islands way before the Austronesians, the ancestors of modern Filipinos, came from Taiwan, before they spread out to the nearby islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Micronesia, Polynesia, Hawaii and even as far as Madagascar on the east coast of Africa.

How could the Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain have "discovered" the islands that he named San Lazaro, later to be called The Philippines, when people were already living on the various islands? When the Chinese, Vietnamese, Indians and other Asian countries were already trading goods with pre-hispanic Filipinos; when Maynila, was already a thriving city ruled by a vassal of Brunei; when Cebu and Mactan were ruled by the warring Rajah Humabon and Lapu-lapu respectively.

To the eyes of the European, Ferdinand Magellan may have "discovered" the Philippines for them, but it's not right for a FIlipino to say Magellan discovered Philippines for he merely arrived in these islands in 1521.

History needs to be re-written to reflect the perspective of the locals and not of the Europeans who think they discovered and later colonized most of the world.

Times have changed and so must your view of history.

Labels: Australia, Beyond Asia, History, Sydney

Corregidor Island is to Manila bay, Fort drum (El Fraile Island) is to Subic Bay, Fort Denison Island is to Sydney Harbour.

Fort Denison is a former prison turned into a park at the entrance of Sydney Harbour acting as a strategic forward fort and defense outpost in Sydney Harbour. It can be seen from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House or Mrs McQuarries Chair but the closest view Tutubi got was on board the ferry to Taronga Zoo.


The Rock of Sydney: Fort Denison

Guided tours of Fort Denison can be booked at Circular Quay where you can actually walk on the fort and explore the lighthouse, cannons and fortifications.


Fort Denison against Sydney skyline (notice the iconic Sydney Tower)

There's an age-old practice of firing a cannon at 1pm every day, some sort of time synchronization with sailors of yore, that continues up to this day.

How to get to Fort Denison, Sydney Harbour:

Ferries to Fort Denison depart wharf 6 at Circular Quay at regular intervals everyday. Ticket price for the ferry ticket includes guided tour of the fort.

Labels: Australia, Beyond Asia, Sydney

Tutubi's penultimate day of his 7D/6N stay in Sydney was spent on a tour of Blue Mountains National Park, a few hours drive or bus ride from Sydney and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The route to Blue Mountains passed by the site of the Sydney Olympics 2000 and the first part of Blue Mountains tour itinerary was the trek to Wentworth Falls, only one of Blue Mountains National Park's numerous waterfalls.



Trek down Wentworth Falls is easy with marked trails some with steel railings and concrete steps. Wear comfortable trekking shoes and practice safety tips even if it's a relatively easy trek.



on the ridge of Blue Mountains National Park Tunnel View Lookout

Several viewpoints were visited including the one below where the last viewdeck located at the top end of the falls can be seen filled with curious tourists and also giving the viewer scale of Wentworth Falls' height.





Wentworth falls is a nice waterfalls but you can't swim in the falls' basin during winter unlike in most waterfalls of the tropics that are really inviting for a refreshing dip. Swimming is only for those with wetsuits plus the trail is more for usual tourists than backpackers looking for unspoiled places.

Why's the national named Blue Mountains? Well, the mountains really blue-colored caused by the mist that came from the abundance of eucalytus trees emitting the mist giving the mountain it's natural blue hue.

The Blue Mountains National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site under natural criteria due to its outstanding universal value. Its eucalypt forest, swamps, wetlands and grasslands are home to to a long list of endemic Australian flora and flora.

Upcoming:
The world famous Three Sisters rock formation of Blue Mountains National Park and Scenic World cable car ride.

Labels: Australia, Beyond Asia, Sydney

With over 800 species of birds in Australia, indigenous and endemic to the Australian ecosystem, Taronga Zoo's a perfect place for "birdwatching" in Sydney with the zoo's large collection of bird species in huge cages plus an amazing free flight bird show in the afternoon

Tutubi, a frustrated birdwatcher, arrived a little late at the bird show venue due to his return trips to the lair of the evasive tasmanian devil, a nocturnal creature that evaded him like the duck-billed platypus. Arriving late has it's advantage that he was able to position himself standing on the rim of the open amphitheater thus was able to move to get close to the action or a "bird's eye view" of the place.

Taronga Zoo's amphitheater for the free flight bird show

The free flight bird show was an interactive one that required audience participation to volunteer for various simple tasks like standing still at a certain part of the amphitheater or holding high a coin for birds to snatch. One of the first act was a an australian owl that landed on a volunteer girls arm when signaled by the bird trainer/host.

an australian masked owl about to land on the little girls arm
this little girl was brave enough to volunteer to be the target of this australian owl that perched on her arm

Taronga zoo's amphitheater with Sidney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House in the background

Succeeding acts were fly over by a wedge-tailed eagle while another show by Jojo and Jasper, a pair of galahs (rose-breasted cockatoos), wowed the audience when they snatched coins held by a volunteer but returned them to the volunteer when instructed to do so by the trainer. Other performing stars of the show were andean condors, black-breasted buzzard and black kites.

the coin-snatching cockatoo freely flying over the crowd

It's a good thing that Tutubi's strategy to stand on the outer end of the amphitheater enabled him to get close to the trainer and volunteers for close-up photos of the birds in flight.

Taronga's birds were so well-trained that they didn't try to escape; what's more they didn't try to eat the dragonfly, Tutubi, for their afternoon snack :P

Labels: Australia, Beyond Asia, Sydney

Even if Sydney Wildlife World, a local zoo in Sydney, is just beside Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour, Tutubi didn't bother to enter the animal facility due to his plan of taking the ferry the following day in Circular Quay to get to Taronga Zoo across the harbour.

There were many reasons why he decided to visit Taronga Zoo: numerous unique Australian wildlife like kangaroos, koalas, emus, tasmanian devils, wombats, platypuses in open living quarters (even the numerous venomous snakes of Australia) simulating natural habitats and not in cramped cages, but the most compelling of them all is probably the most famous symbol of Australia found even on the country's national emblem-- the kangaroo.

Photos of Kangaroos in Taronga Zoo:

this kangaroo stopped eating carrots and posed for Tutubi
a red kangaroo (sign says it's a tree kangaroo since it can climb trees)
a kangaroo couple looked back at Tutubi for a photo-op
kangaroo in "attack formation" about 3 meters from Tutubi
another couple inside the "walk-in" kangaroo enclosure of Taronga Zoo

It's just too bad that Tutubi wasn't able to actually see and photograph a mother kangaroo with a joey in her pocket, probably because Taronga Zookeepers nurture young joeys elsewhere instead of letting kangaroo moms rear them.

Kangaroo Trivia:

Young kangaroos are called Joey (that's why Tutubi sometimes call his friend Joey a kangaroo :)

A group of kangaroos is called a mob (when you're "attacked" by a group of kangaroos, you're most likely "mobbed.")

Kangaroos, like wallabies, belong to a group of mammals called marsupials distinguished by the females equipped with a pouch, called marsupium, in which they carry their young.

The smaller types of kangaroos are called wallabies

The word Kangaroo came from the aborigine word that means "I don't know." This came about when English explorers asked aborigines about the name of the bizarre animal standing on two legs with a pouch for babies. Since the aborigine didn't understand what the white men were asking, they simply replied "kangaroo."

Should you ask questions that Tutubi doesn't know the answer to, like the evolution of the kangaroo, expect him to reply: kangaroo!

Related Posts on Sydney, Australia:
Crossing Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Opera House,
Luminous Festival: Sydney Opera House in Colour!

Labels: Australia, Beyond Asia, Sydney

The most popular among Sydney's tourist attractions, Sydney Aquarium is but one of the few that remain open after 5pm in a city that pretty much sleeps early at night-- that is except King's Cross district where the red light district's located.

After Tutubi's "classes," he dragged his feet southwards this time going to Darling Harbour to visit Sydney oceanarium.



Of the 23 species of crocodiles still extant, 2 of them can be found in Australia (2 of them too in the Philippines, one is endemic).



With about 11,500 animals on display, you can walk underwater even interact with sharks on feeding time.

Several of Australia's ecosystems are re-created at Sydney Aquarium just to showcase to visitors the rich diversity of Australian flora and fauna.

a white shark above the tube with a man taking pictures to add scale. Sharks up close are a sight to behold and pretty scary too

How would you know if a shark is male or female?

smiling reef shark

the most exciting part of the oceanarium visit was the chance to Find Nemo near his anemone


Sydney Aquarium is said to be Australia's #1 tourist attraction.

Sydney Aquarium Entrance fee:

Admission price of Sydney Aquarium is AUD$31.95 for adults and AUD$17.95 for children 4 to 16 years of age. Additional discounts for families. Open from 9am to 10pm. Tip: for cheaper tickets, buy your tickets online and get 10% discount. You can also buy cheap combo tickets package of Sydney Aquarium, Wildlife World and AMP Theater for big discounts. Sydney Aquarium also has parking spaces available, no idea on parking fees though.

How to get to Sydney Aquarium?
it's just walking distance from Sydney CBD, Chinatown and is along charming Darling Harbour beside Sydney Wildlife World.

Photography is allowed inside Sydney Aquarium but probably without flash. Not sure sure though since everybody's taking pictures and there were no people to dissuade people to take pictures with flash even if it's horrible to use it.

In Asia, there are also similar aquariums like Underwater World Singapore, Hong Kong Ocean Park, Siam Ocean World in Bangkok, Aquaria KLCC Kuala Lumpur and Manila Ocean Park.

Coming up: exotic creatures of Sydney Aquarium

Labels: Australia, Beyond Asia, Sydney

A marvelous, English-style gothic architecture of a Catholic church, St. Mary's cathedral was first seen by Tutubi, on board a car of a friend who migrated to Australia last year, en route to various places for some sort of a Sydney Explorer tour.

The cathedral sports a brown color with spires that can be seen from a distance and located beside Hyde Park where Tutubi's hotel is also within walking distance (almost every interesting place in Sydney is really withing walking distance)



after two days, Tutubi returned to St. mary's Cathedral armed with his new tripod he bought specifically for his Australia trip (Tutubi is averse to tripod for its another thing to lug around but this time his officemate carried it for him)

the cathedral's back entrance

When Tutubi arrived at the church, the mass schedule of 6pm hs just started and Tutubi took the time to hear mass. He left immediately after the ceremonies and didn't take more pictures of the interiors, altar, pipe organ, stained-glass windows and the crypt of the unknown solider when he read a notice to ask for permission if anybody wanted to take photos of the place.


St Mary's Cathedral at night on a full moon partly obstructed by clouds

For St. mary's cathedral mass schedules, wedding rates, baptisms and other inquiries, you may visit their official website.

Labels: Australia, Beyond Asia, Sydney

Like Tutubi, you may be used to seeing the Sydney Opera House in its natural color but an event was currently ongoing in Sydney when Tutubi got there when the sails of the iconic Sydney Opera House were lit by kaleidoscopic colours projected from the Rocks across Sydney Cove and Mrs MacQuarrie's Point across Farm Cove


Sydney Opera House during the day
Short video of the Luminous Festival: the Lighting of the Sails:

Sydney Luminous festival schedule of activities were handed out to visitors on the days of the festival.

It's nice to see the Sydney Opera House with your own eyes, but it's better to see it in living colour at night!

Labels: Australia, Beyond Asia, Sydney

On a trip initially scheduled to Melbourne in Australia's Victoria state, Tutubi requested the trip to be moved to Sydney and just visit Melbourne if he has the time. There were many reasons why one of them is for him to be able to see for himself the iconic Sydney Opera Hour, also known as The Sails

Pictures of Sydney Opera House from various points:


Sydney Opera House from the Rocks from The Rocks across Sydney Cove

Sydney Opera House from Sydney Harbour Bridge


Sydney Opera House from Sydney Harbour Bridge with Hyatt Park Hotel on the foreground


Sydney Opera House from a ferry out of Circular Quay

Sydney Opera House History and Trivia:

Originally planned in the 1940s and finished in 1973

Designed and built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon

The Opera House was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007 for its outstanding architecture of the 20th century.

The Luminous Festival held during mid-year involves the lighting of The Sails of Sydney Opera House at night in vivid colours.

There are guided tours of Sydney Opera House including a glimpse of the interiors. Tutubi just opted for the DIY free tour of the marvelous facility due to lack of time.

Related Post:

BridgeWalk: Sydney Harbour Bridge

Labels: Australia, Beyond Asia, Sydney

Days before Tutubi's "historic" trip to the "Land Down Under," he was asked by his excited officemate who's going with him what they're going to do in Sydney to which he simply replied: "Let's cross the bridge when we get there."

And on landing in Sydney Airport one chilly Sydney winter morning, hurriedly dropped their bags at the Metro Hotel on Pitt, walked towards Circular Quay and historic The Rocks district of Sydney near Sydney Opera House and crossed the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge


The first glimpse of Sydney Harbour bridge from Circular Quay in front of Museum of Contemporary Art

Northern end of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge from Milson Point

A Sydney Harbour Bridge history marker states Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened for traffic on March 18, 1932. On May 28, 2000, more than 250,000 people walked across the bridge in support of reconciliation and a million more in months that followed.

Want to know the way to Cross Sydney Harbour Bridge?

From Circular Quay, you need to walk towards Museum of Contemporary Art, continue towards Argyle St then turn left just before entering Argyle cut (looks like a tunnel) then right up a flight of stairs, cross the street where you'll see the entrance to the pedestrian walkway of the bridge that leads to the other side. Tutubi got there by finding the way as he didn't find the signs leading to the stairs but at least he found it.

If you're quite adventurous and with money to burn, you can also do the more daring BridgeClimb where you can climb the bridge for a fee of course. A lesser adventure by climbing one of the pylons where a view is offered plus a museum (entrace fee/admission price apply) about Sydney Harbour Bridge's history can be viewed. Tutubi opted for the free tour of Sydney Harbour Bridge just by walking across it.

warning: Don't believe online travel guides that crossing the bridge takes only fifteen minutes; Tutubi took about an hour just to cross to the other side-- delayed by taking too many pictures of Circular Quay, Sydney Opera House, Fort Denison and the bridge itself.

Sydney harbour Bridge is listed as one of the "1000 Places Before You Die" book by Patricia Schultz. It has a pedestrian walkway on the eastern lane, a bike lane to the west, a train track and several lanes for vehicles.

This is the start of a new series on Beyond Asia detailing Tutubi's first adventure outside of Asia. Will go back to regular programming later

Labels: 1000 Places To See Before You Die, Australia, Beyond Asia, Sydney