A good blog but beware of tour guides.

Frogdancer travels rather a lot, and her blog is a good read as she writes with wit, humour and some self deprecation. As I write she is about to visit Machu Picchu by train.

During a recent tour she posted about something a guide told her group. A quick Google and AI check definitely says this is untrue, in spite of how cruel the Spanish were.

The Inca men had long ponytails down to their hips. The Spanish would tie the men’s hands behind their backs, then tie their ponytails to their testicles. Then they’d castrate them.

I can't remember the 'fact' we were told on the open topped New York hop on, hop off bus, but I was suspicious and I checked and it was totally wrong.

This photo taken from the top of the bus, and I don't know what the statue is about, probably in lower Manhattan. Of course I could Google it, but maybe one of you already know. 

Rottnest Island, Western Australia, to paraphrase the tour guide, "We don't have an electricity connection to the island from the mainland, so we generate all of our electricity here on the island, and any excess goes back to Perth (mainland)". I guess that is by osmosis. 

Quokka barrier at the Rottnest Island supermarket. 

A rough ride

If you visit Sydney, it is almost compulsory to catch a ferry from Circular Quay to Manly, with one side of the suburb facing the harbour where the ferry berths, and the other side, the open Pacific Ocean, great for surfing.

Once when returning from Manly to Sydney's Circular Quay, we were tossed about a bit and a little water sprayed those sitting outside at the bow. Seeing people outside being sprayed was very amusing. However, it was nothing like what is in these videos. The only dicey part of the trip is when the ferry crosses Sydney Heads, open water to the Pacific Ocean, and was no doubt where this occurred. I hasten to add, this is very unusual.

I believe these videos were taken by Matt Lambley, maybe. I've seen a different name embedded in the video. 

 

Rough rides for me? Nothing will beat the ferry journey from Fremantle in Western Australia to Rottnest Island. Grace, can you believe that in a couple of months it will be ten years ago when we were in Perth?