Dad's 70th in Fiji

To celebrate the birthday boy's milestone, Clan Griswold went to Malolo Island in Fiji for the week. I can't quite recall the last time we had all 14 of us together - it has certainly been a while. Snorkelling, diving, kayaking, eating, sleeping, reading, partying, reading, a surprisingly busy week for doing nothing.

A tough start to the trip.

 Tough night conditions.

 And even tougher daytime conditions.

 Just like Fiji water.

 Somehow roped into refereeing the brutal inter-island grudge match. After my island team lost, I find out the tourist boat has gone home and I have to take the players boat home learning Malolo Island is back in the comp after a year's suspension for a record number of yellow & red cards.

 We're quite happy with ourselves.

 Too lovely for a caption.

 Magic days.

And magic people.

Borobudur

My first trip to Java and to some places that I love saying the names of - Yogyakarta & Borobudur. Despite being a fairly major Buddhist site - the world's largest Buddhist temple in fact - the town felt fairly untouched by mass tourism. It could be in fact that mass foreign tourism has not entirely overwhelmed Borobudur outside the immediate surrounds of the temple itself.

Our hotel was in a small village in the hills above Borobudur.  Sitting with books, watching the afternoon thunderstorms roll in and then the mists hide and expose Mt Merapi was a fantastic way to unwind from Amanda's ridiculous travel schedule and my enjoyable period at work.

Mt Merapi just visible behind the mists

Borobudur stupa

 Borobudur at around 5:00am

 Borobudur a little bit later

 And a bit later than that

 ......

 graffiti wall

 Green vine snake at the breakfast table

Get it India

 

Ahoy Hanoi - September

Rompin - Year 6

It was quite a disappointing fishing trip in 2015.  The haze from Indonesian burn-offs has been camped over South-East Asia for around a month and with the lack of visibility it was hard to see birds feeding on bait-fish. We had no bites on day one and then nothing on day 2 until mid-afternoon.

There was plenty of life out there - cuttlefish, mackerel, barracuda, some mating sea-snakes and this little guy who lived to tell his tale another day.

 

For Richard and Evan this was their first fish of this size and ending up with 4 fish including a double hook-up, meant the trip ended on a high.

 

 

Easter in NYC