Lazarow World-Hike-About

It's about as high as it gets in S.E. Asia January 30th What do the following have in common? A Jewish economic adviser to Muslims of Indonesia and Nigeria, an Indian Coca Cola executive residing in Singapore, an owner of ‘The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’ chain of stores, a mathematician from Heidelberg, an elderly Canadian couple from Winnipeg, formerly of Poland, visiting their son in Saigon, a Bulgarian pianist and a handful of Malaysians and Chinese couples, the men wearing Tzizit. We suppose we should add two wandering Jews whom are full of wonder. So, what’s the answer to the riddle? In the Forest near the City We wandered through the ‘green area’ of the city in pouring rain, reaching the highest point in Singapore, Mount Faber and then walked into the adjoining forest. A cable car reaches the top as well as allowing one to travel on it to a nearby island, too. We think we had an elevation gain of 500 feet or so—big deal. However, the gardens and forest are very attractive a...

A gardner's pride What are they selling? January 28th “We have a rental car; there are buses, trains, trams, taxis even bicycles. Why are we walking, via the beach from our apartment, to downtown Melbourne?” we gently inquired of our beloved editor. We did not want to appear impolite but 11 or 12 miles on asphalt is somewhat tiring, especially after little sleep and a hectic couple of months hiking. We have been waking in Australia at times that even the ‘streetwalkers’ of Chapel Street might find awkward. “Because there are no mountains to speak of in the area, I’ve got to keep you busy and exercised otherwise I’ll have to listen to your whining,” she replied firmly. We’re sorry we asked—we should know better by now. Keep us ‘exercised and whinnying’? —sounds like horse-talk to us. "Okay Guys, I got you covered...extra sunscreen in my sidepocket" We said goodbye to our spunky niece and left Melbourne for the city-state of Singapore. After a hectic start including a...

Chapel Street "For a start, get rid of those shorts,” our editor announced gruffly,”and while you’re at it, your stylish hat, too.” “Oh, no. Not the hat, surely,” we protested strongly. What triggered this assault on our wardrobe you might wonder? It is all about Chapel Street in St Kilda, Melbourne. We have rented an apartment close to that street for five days and have discovered that it may be the ideal place to live. The internet brochure advertising the accommodation was a work of art. Any similarity to the actual apartment is purely coincidental, though. But we really ‘appreciate’ the slick approach. Yeah, right! We have arrived as the saying goes. What made you decide, you might ask? We’re pleased you’re inquisitive. Chapel Street, particularly at night, appeals to us because it’s for the young, hip, the with-it, tattooed, heavy smokers, drinkers, semi-nudists and other upstanding citizens of society. We just feel it’s our kind of town. We strolled along the sidewalk and we...

Romy and Jenni, entering the forest after 1,000 steps January 24th Hike 27: The Dandenongs and its 1,000 steps We’re in Melbourne, a large city by any standard. This does not necessarily mean that there are high mountains though. Then again, you can’t have everything. Shabbos was at St Kilda’s Hebrew Congregation, a friendly community with Rabbi Heilbrunn, formerly of South Africa. The Rabbi sounds equally at home as a chazzan, too. It was a most interesting and uplifting few days. We met family of Jenni’s who live in Australia by the name of Klein (from Springs). Isadore, Bernice, daughters Cheryl and Louise and niece, Jenny. Family like this one doesn’t run away from but rather, one runs to. Then we linked up with Lorraine and Bobby Heilbrunn who are cousins and hosted us at their home for a wonderful dinner. Yes. Bobby is the brother of the rabbi and Lorraine is Jenni’s first cousin. We have met up with quite a few ‘landsman’. What is most interesting is that every South African w...

Did you hear the ghost? Hello Mates, January 20th Less visited Snowy trail Time to leave Jindabyne, New South Wales and give Victoria a try. But first, let’s attempt one more approach to a summit in the Snowy Mountains, we decided. All day traveling without activity makes Jen and Jeff even more dull. We packed and headed for the quaint village of Threadbo. In our next ‘life', we are thinking of asking Hashem to appoint us a place-name supervisor. We also want to be able to make up names like those in Australasia. A person could have a lot of fun in this field—what’d you say Tutukaka? Our best hike in the Snowy Mountains We found a hike that was partly closed because a bridge had been washed away. We checked it, finding the crossing sans bridge wouldn’t be a problem. We always feel safe when holding our editor’s hand. Yes, we did commit a transgression. However, we do think the Australians are very cautious about things like that. The hike was terrific. One of the reasons is t...

Australia's highest, Our finest Hike 25: January 18th Dressed for Snow at Peak Back into the park to face Mount Kosciu...chefsky, no that’s wrong, Poland’s…, we mean Australia’s finest...hm, highest. We might also add, one of the country’s most difficult names. If one mentioned to a person from Colorado that the highest mountain in Australia is 7,320 feet, the person would ‘crack-up’. He/she would be rolling on the ground hysterically. We, however, don’t even raise an eyebrow. As we mentioned in the last narrative, it’s the beauty in this area that counts and we think it’s particular beautiful. We walked 12 miles today and there was nothing funny about it, Mr. Colorado. Looking down and across into the valleys gave us a very satisfying feeling even without binoculars. Our expectations were on the low side so we have been most pleasantly surprised. By the way, the elevation gain from the base at Charlotte’s Pass was a mere 1,300 feet. Hey, don’t laugh. The Australians are sensiti...

Santa Fe, NM Mt. Kosciuszko, Snowy Mts. Tarrigal Beach, Sydney (north) Zion, Ut (Great favorite) You may gather it was a rest day.

The Snowy Mountains from Atop Summit Mt. Caruthers High winds well below summit Hike 24: January 17th ‘Snowy Mountains here we come,’ we shouted as we sped off from Leura, traveling south through the capital, Canberra and then on to Jindabyne. We spent seven nights in the Blue Mountains, a similar amount of days, too. We had a wonderful experience in the region, although after a very slow start, we were beginning to wonder about our stay in Australia. Canberra, the parts that we saw, were very pretty. It looks like a well-cared for city. “Why are you holding your wallet like that?” our editor asked as we entered the capital. “We once wrote a dissertation on taxes, so we know how things work with politicians,” we answered. “There are only two things certain in life, death and taxes, and not necessarily in that order. When we enter a town filled with politicians, we hold onto our wallet.” With the usual rolling of the eyes, we were told to drive towards Jindabyne, a village with a c...