This is what greeted me upon my return to work.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Monday, May 29, 2006
Cultural Differences
Back in my second post, I said that I was curious about the cultural differences between Australia and the US. While I couldn't in a million years compare and contrast two such vastly different cultures in the space of a few paragraphs (assuming I could at all), I did come up with a few things to think about. These are just my perceptions and I invite comment if I mis-perceive.
First, Australia is in ASIA. As difficult as this might be for Americans who are geographically-challenged to realize, there is a substantially stronger influence in Oz from Asian economic markets and political activities than in the west. This point was brought home to my when my friend Lesley said that her kids were learning Indonesian as a second language. That floored me. Why not French, Spanish, German, or the other languages that were offered to me as a child? Well, clearly, the best language for a kid to learn is one that they'll actually get a chance to use. I would have gotten much more mileage out of my language abilities if I had studied Spanish or French instead of German, but there's little reasoning with a fourth-grader. But I digress. . . .
The second point I'll raise is Australian conservatism. I was told before I went over there that Oz was a politically conservative country. And it's true -- John Howard is a big cheerleader for the Shrub. Similarly, Oz is largely a socially conservative country. There is a strong commitment to the family, preservation of moral principles, and a little unease with alternate lifestyles among the natives, especially outside of the cities. Quite similar to what you see in rural America. What's profoundly different, though, is that religion just isn't all that important there. I mean, don't get me wrong -- there are plenty of churches, synagogues, temples, and Sydney even has one of only seven Baha'i centers in the world. Regardless, the natives I spoke with were pretty consistent in saying that religion just doesn't play that big a role in the average Australian's life.
Another apparent departure from American conservatism is that there is a far greater commitment to the common good in Australia. Health coverage is universal, retirees are cared for, there is a minimum (living) wage, and public services are quite impressive. Schools operate year-round, and Australians typically get far more vacation time than Americans -- that's one reason they travel so much more than we do. There is an across-the-board 10% Goods & Services Tax that funds much of this, but again, there is much more of a commitment to the common good than to the chasing of money for money's sake. I, for one, appreciate the balance.
First, Australia is in ASIA. As difficult as this might be for Americans who are geographically-challenged to realize, there is a substantially stronger influence in Oz from Asian economic markets and political activities than in the west. This point was brought home to my when my friend Lesley said that her kids were learning Indonesian as a second language. That floored me. Why not French, Spanish, German, or the other languages that were offered to me as a child? Well, clearly, the best language for a kid to learn is one that they'll actually get a chance to use. I would have gotten much more mileage out of my language abilities if I had studied Spanish or French instead of German, but there's little reasoning with a fourth-grader. But I digress. . . .
The second point I'll raise is Australian conservatism. I was told before I went over there that Oz was a politically conservative country. And it's true -- John Howard is a big cheerleader for the Shrub. Similarly, Oz is largely a socially conservative country. There is a strong commitment to the family, preservation of moral principles, and a little unease with alternate lifestyles among the natives, especially outside of the cities. Quite similar to what you see in rural America. What's profoundly different, though, is that religion just isn't all that important there. I mean, don't get me wrong -- there are plenty of churches, synagogues, temples, and Sydney even has one of only seven Baha'i centers in the world. Regardless, the natives I spoke with were pretty consistent in saying that religion just doesn't play that big a role in the average Australian's life.
Another apparent departure from American conservatism is that there is a far greater commitment to the common good in Australia. Health coverage is universal, retirees are cared for, there is a minimum (living) wage, and public services are quite impressive. Schools operate year-round, and Australians typically get far more vacation time than Americans -- that's one reason they travel so much more than we do. There is an across-the-board 10% Goods & Services Tax that funds much of this, but again, there is much more of a commitment to the common good than to the chasing of money for money's sake. I, for one, appreciate the balance.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
We're Home. Sun 28 May (US Time)
This is just a post to my friends that we've arrived safe in Houston, and will be driving back tomorrow morning to see the cats. We didn't sleep at all on the flight from Sydney to LA, nor from LA to Houston, so we're not in top mental form. I'll post something more coherent tomorrow, but for now you just need to know that we learned so very much exploring Australia, as little as we were able to see in the short time we had. The people were beyond description, the wildlife and landscapes were beautiful beyond description, and our experience has improved our lives immensely.
Context
It's probably no big deal, but I thought I'd provide a little context for that remark about dreaming about death.
When we were on the Daintree river cruise, the tour guide pointed out a green tree snake that was crawling on a limb. Later the same day, while we were walking on one of the boardwalks through the rain forest, I saw another one slithering away from the path up into the trees.
That night, April wakes up around 11:00pm, screaming that there were snakes in the room, leaping out of bed and bruising herself up pretty good.
So the context for the death dream wasn't that mine was impending or that I was somehow fixated on death. On the contrary, it was just an example of how we use dreams to process information we receive while we're awake. Nothing more.
When we were on the Daintree river cruise, the tour guide pointed out a green tree snake that was crawling on a limb. Later the same day, while we were walking on one of the boardwalks through the rain forest, I saw another one slithering away from the path up into the trees.
That night, April wakes up around 11:00pm, screaming that there were snakes in the room, leaping out of bed and bruising herself up pretty good.
So the context for the death dream wasn't that mine was impending or that I was somehow fixated on death. On the contrary, it was just an example of how we use dreams to process information we receive while we're awake. Nothing more.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Sydney - Last day :( - Sat, 27 May
Kind of a bittersweet day -- this is our last day, but what a great one it was.
Last night's play was a thought-provoking, black comedy about death. Of course, last night I dreamed about death. I don't recall what the dream was, but it was one of those that make you remember that you've dreamed.
Our legs are REAL sore. The area of Sydney we're occupying, The Rocks, is built somewhat on the side of a hill. Everything we needed to get to was via Circular Quay, which is at the harbor at the bottom of the hill. So whenever we were through with our day's activity, we faced a long up-hill climb up angled streets, stairs cut into the rock, and around blocks of randomly-placed buildings. We managed well, but we're sore.
Before we left for the play, we booked a day-long bus trip out to the Blue Mountains west of Sydney for Saturday. The mountains are called "blue" because sunlight refracts off volatilizing eucalyptus oils from the gum trees, giving the whole area a strong blue cast. Geologically, they are very old -- about twice as old as Arizona's Grand Canyon. We took a 20-passenger coach, which was maneuverable enough to get us into some pretty tight places, which gave us some fantastic views. We took the world's steepest railway down from the top of one of the mountains and rode a gondola (cable car?) back up to the top when we were through exploring the boardwalk through the temperate rain forest.
I've mentioned that Friday we walked our asses off. Our hope was that today we'd rest by planting those self-same asses in bus seats and have them driven around the countryside oohing and aahing at beautiful scenery, yadda yadda whatever. Uhh -- didn't happen that way. Homey walked his ass off even more today than he did yesterday. Up stairs, down stairs, down trails, up trails, etc. If I didn't know that it was going to make it hurt worse, I'd say I'm looking forward to the 17 hours of immobility I face on the flights tomorrow.
Anyway, back to our day. We were booked to return to Sydney from the Blue Mountains via "River Cat" -- one of the Sydney Ferry Authority's fast ferries that serve locations up the river from Circular Quay, the city's transit hub. It gave us a great look at one of the worlds' finest harbors and a chance to bid farewell to Australia's adopted constellation, the Southern Cross (it's the one on their flag).
When we arrived back at Circular Quay, we walked around to Doyle's restaurant. Circular Quay is something of a large "U" in configuration. On the upper-right tip of the "U" lies the Sydney Opera House. Doyle's is on the other, opposite, tip. The wharves are at the bottom. We had Doyle's "famous" fish and chips, but paid for lobster & prime rib. The food was OK, the price was ridiculous, but the view was absolutely stunning.
Let me put in another recommendation for the Sydney Harbour Bed & Breakfast -- if you're coming to Sydney, you should stay here. It's deep in The Rocks, which is a great location, and the service is impeccable. We have been well cared-for while in Sydney.
I've tried to remember to include links to our favorite accomodations, suppliers, and sights on the right as well as in the text. As time goes on, after I return home, I'll complete the list. If you have a question about something we did or someplace we went, please ask. Oh yeah -- photos. I've got five CD-ROMs, one DVD-ROM, and a couple of SD cards with photos on them. I'm NOT going to post them all. Hell, I hope I can remember what they all are! I've also got four Digital Video Cassettes with video I'm going to transfer to the computer, plus two DVDs with dive videos. Needless to say, one of my projects will be to come up with some sort of multimedia presentation incorporating these elements. God help me. Several people have said that they want to see my pictures -- I'll be happy to accommodate you, but you'd better plan on spending a weekend with me if you want to see them all. I know most everyone will be interested in seeing the video of the croc eating the chickens, though.
Homey
Last night's play was a thought-provoking, black comedy about death. Of course, last night I dreamed about death. I don't recall what the dream was, but it was one of those that make you remember that you've dreamed.
Our legs are REAL sore. The area of Sydney we're occupying, The Rocks, is built somewhat on the side of a hill. Everything we needed to get to was via Circular Quay, which is at the harbor at the bottom of the hill. So whenever we were through with our day's activity, we faced a long up-hill climb up angled streets, stairs cut into the rock, and around blocks of randomly-placed buildings. We managed well, but we're sore.
Before we left for the play, we booked a day-long bus trip out to the Blue Mountains west of Sydney for Saturday. The mountains are called "blue" because sunlight refracts off volatilizing eucalyptus oils from the gum trees, giving the whole area a strong blue cast. Geologically, they are very old -- about twice as old as Arizona's Grand Canyon. We took a 20-passenger coach, which was maneuverable enough to get us into some pretty tight places, which gave us some fantastic views. We took the world's steepest railway down from the top of one of the mountains and rode a gondola (cable car?) back up to the top when we were through exploring the boardwalk through the temperate rain forest.
I've mentioned that Friday we walked our asses off. Our hope was that today we'd rest by planting those self-same asses in bus seats and have them driven around the countryside oohing and aahing at beautiful scenery, yadda yadda whatever. Uhh -- didn't happen that way. Homey walked his ass off even more today than he did yesterday. Up stairs, down stairs, down trails, up trails, etc. If I didn't know that it was going to make it hurt worse, I'd say I'm looking forward to the 17 hours of immobility I face on the flights tomorrow.
Anyway, back to our day. We were booked to return to Sydney from the Blue Mountains via "River Cat" -- one of the Sydney Ferry Authority's fast ferries that serve locations up the river from Circular Quay, the city's transit hub. It gave us a great look at one of the worlds' finest harbors and a chance to bid farewell to Australia's adopted constellation, the Southern Cross (it's the one on their flag).
When we arrived back at Circular Quay, we walked around to Doyle's restaurant. Circular Quay is something of a large "U" in configuration. On the upper-right tip of the "U" lies the Sydney Opera House. Doyle's is on the other, opposite, tip. The wharves are at the bottom. We had Doyle's "famous" fish and chips, but paid for lobster & prime rib. The food was OK, the price was ridiculous, but the view was absolutely stunning.
Let me put in another recommendation for the Sydney Harbour Bed & Breakfast -- if you're coming to Sydney, you should stay here. It's deep in The Rocks, which is a great location, and the service is impeccable. We have been well cared-for while in Sydney.
I've tried to remember to include links to our favorite accomodations, suppliers, and sights on the right as well as in the text. As time goes on, after I return home, I'll complete the list. If you have a question about something we did or someplace we went, please ask. Oh yeah -- photos. I've got five CD-ROMs, one DVD-ROM, and a couple of SD cards with photos on them. I'm NOT going to post them all. Hell, I hope I can remember what they all are! I've also got four Digital Video Cassettes with video I'm going to transfer to the computer, plus two DVDs with dive videos. Needless to say, one of my projects will be to come up with some sort of multimedia presentation incorporating these elements. God help me. Several people have said that they want to see my pictures -- I'll be happy to accommodate you, but you'd better plan on spending a weekend with me if you want to see them all. I know most everyone will be interested in seeing the video of the croc eating the chickens, though.
Homey
Friday, May 26, 2006
Sydney Day 2 - Fri 26 May
We have spent another busy day in the Capitol of New South Wales. We got out early this morning and had a guided tour of the Sydney Opera House. We also took advantage of a special offer to get tickets to see a play there tonight: "The Hanging Man."
After our tour, we took one of the ferries around Sydney Harbour to a place called Darling Harbour. There's a lot more to see & do there, but our objective was the Australian National Maritime Museum. We only had time to tour the destroyer Vampire, a submarine, and a replica of the Endeavour, the ship that Capt. Cook was sailing when he "discovered" Australia. It had been a collier, or coal carrier, that he converted into a scientific research and exploration vessel. A collier has a blunt bow and stern and a fairly flat keel, which makes it easy to run up on shore if repairs are needed and keeps it from tipping over when grounded. Since he did, in fact, run aground on the Great Barrier Reef, the fact that he was in a collier probably saved his expedition.
Right after that, we took the ferry to Luna Park. Now by today's standards, Luna park would be a fairly lame amusement park. As a historical artifact, however, it's phenomenal. There is a building there that houses some rides and amusements that haven't changed since the early 1900s. There are large slides that you ride a woven mat down, the "Turkey Trot" that is a series of lurching walkways that you have to negotiate, and a large, shallow cone that you sit in the middle of and that spins around until centrifugal force finally drives you off the center. There were also several "robot musicians" -- steam-powered automated musical attractions that, although beautifully restored and lit, were out of order.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Australia, and we're getting a little worried that we will miss something critical. We have to comfort ourselves in the fact that that we know we can't see everything and we've just got to make the best of what we can do. I am certainly sad that our time here is coming to an end, but I know that I've seen a part of the world that few of my countrymen will ever see. I'm not happy that I've seen it and they haven't, you understand, but it's just that I'm happy that I've seen it. Period.
Even though that means that you probably won't see it, truth be told. Except for sitting through a slide show of thousands of photographs (most of them really crappy or downright unrecognizable) and home videos. Of course, if Blair Witch Project gave you motion sickness, you'll be watching my video out on the deck with a water hose, 'cause it looks like I had the palsies when I shot the video.
Oh, well, I've had enough of taunting my "friends." If anything interesting happens tonight I'll post again in about 12 hours, or at the very least I'll get a final post or two in over the next couple of days. Take it easy!
Actually, if you really want to travel and see things like Emus, kangaroos, and drunken one-armed property managers, you can. You just have to be prepared to make sacrifices, just like anything else of value.
After our tour, we took one of the ferries around Sydney Harbour to a place called Darling Harbour. There's a lot more to see & do there, but our objective was the Australian National Maritime Museum. We only had time to tour the destroyer Vampire, a submarine, and a replica of the Endeavour, the ship that Capt. Cook was sailing when he "discovered" Australia. It had been a collier, or coal carrier, that he converted into a scientific research and exploration vessel. A collier has a blunt bow and stern and a fairly flat keel, which makes it easy to run up on shore if repairs are needed and keeps it from tipping over when grounded. Since he did, in fact, run aground on the Great Barrier Reef, the fact that he was in a collier probably saved his expedition.
Right after that, we took the ferry to Luna Park. Now by today's standards, Luna park would be a fairly lame amusement park. As a historical artifact, however, it's phenomenal. There is a building there that houses some rides and amusements that haven't changed since the early 1900s. There are large slides that you ride a woven mat down, the "Turkey Trot" that is a series of lurching walkways that you have to negotiate, and a large, shallow cone that you sit in the middle of and that spins around until centrifugal force finally drives you off the center. There were also several "robot musicians" -- steam-powered automated musical attractions that, although beautifully restored and lit, were out of order.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Australia, and we're getting a little worried that we will miss something critical. We have to comfort ourselves in the fact that that we know we can't see everything and we've just got to make the best of what we can do. I am certainly sad that our time here is coming to an end, but I know that I've seen a part of the world that few of my countrymen will ever see. I'm not happy that I've seen it and they haven't, you understand, but it's just that I'm happy that I've seen it. Period.
Even though that means that you probably won't see it, truth be told. Except for sitting through a slide show of thousands of photographs (most of them really crappy or downright unrecognizable) and home videos. Of course, if Blair Witch Project gave you motion sickness, you'll be watching my video out on the deck with a water hose, 'cause it looks like I had the palsies when I shot the video.
Oh, well, I've had enough of taunting my "friends." If anything interesting happens tonight I'll post again in about 12 hours, or at the very least I'll get a final post or two in over the next couple of days. Take it easy!
Actually, if you really want to travel and see things like Emus, kangaroos, and drunken one-armed property managers, you can. You just have to be prepared to make sacrifices, just like anything else of value.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Sydney Overview - Thu 25 May
Sydney is unlike any part of Australia I've seen so far. It's crowded, busy, bustling, and wildly multicultural. In fact, I've met far fewer Australians here than anywhere else I've been. Most of the shopkeepers, tourists, etc., are from Asia or Europe or America.
This morning we tried to follow what worked well for us in Melbourne: We got a big-picture overview of the city by taking a harbor cruise then a bus tour. In the evening, we went on a ghost-themed walking tour of The Rocks, the oldest European settlement in Australia. Coincidentally, that's where we're staying. When I went to bed last night, the only light I saw was the reflection from the Sydney Opera House through our bedroom window. The long and the short of it is that we spent about 12 hours exploring Sydney and are going to have trouble figuring out the next step. I want to see Luna Park, tour the opera house, see the botanical gardens, and a couple of other things I've forgotten already.
We went to Bondi (pron. bond-eye) beach today on the bus, but it was pretty cold and only the hard-core surfers were out. The waves were pretty small, so it wasn't very busy.
Well, more tomorrow, I'm sure!
K
This morning we tried to follow what worked well for us in Melbourne: We got a big-picture overview of the city by taking a harbor cruise then a bus tour. In the evening, we went on a ghost-themed walking tour of The Rocks, the oldest European settlement in Australia. Coincidentally, that's where we're staying. When I went to bed last night, the only light I saw was the reflection from the Sydney Opera House through our bedroom window. The long and the short of it is that we spent about 12 hours exploring Sydney and are going to have trouble figuring out the next step. I want to see Luna Park, tour the opera house, see the botanical gardens, and a couple of other things I've forgotten already.
We went to Bondi (pron. bond-eye) beach today on the bus, but it was pretty cold and only the hard-core surfers were out. The waves were pretty small, so it wasn't very busy.
Well, more tomorrow, I'm sure!
K
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Sydney Harbour - Wed 24 May
Well, we made it. The "shuttle" from the airport was an experience. An experience right out of Bangladesh. Not that there were any Bangladeshis aboard the bus (our driver was a Filipino), but he would not leave until the 10 passenger bus held exactly 11 passengers, plus enough luggage to make us pop wheelies every time a stoplight was about to turn green. I wanted to call him a "retarded syphilitic pederaste" knowing he wouldn't understand what it meant (his English was -er- rudimentary), but my mouth was busy kissing the ground when he dropped us off and I forgot.
One big regret -- when we drove from the Brisbane airport to Mooloolaba, it was night time. When we drove from Mooloolaba to Beerwah to see the Australia Zoo, it was raining and cloudy. Today, driving from Mooloolaba back to Brisbane, the weather was clear and sunny, and I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of the Glasshouse Mountains west of the M1 highway. If you make it to this area, please take the opportunity to drive through the tourist roads (23 & 24) and take in the vistas from the lookout points they've created. It'll augment your karma -- I assure you.
What a shock. We went from off-season on the Sunshine Coast to the middle of a busy, bustling metropolis. I thought we'd get a gentle transition, but that's not what we got. Melbourne was quite genteel and manageable for us. Sydney is going to take a little orientation. That'll begin in a few minutes and get intense tomorrow. I'll post more then.
The B&B Sydney Harbour is a beautiful building. We're on the third floor and our room overlooks the circular quays and the opera house. It's a very old building, and has more character than any place I've stayed in a very long time.
Tonight I think we'll watch the Rugby match between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blue. From my experiences so far, I'll be rooting for the Maroons.
Mas Manana
One big regret -- when we drove from the Brisbane airport to Mooloolaba, it was night time. When we drove from Mooloolaba to Beerwah to see the Australia Zoo, it was raining and cloudy. Today, driving from Mooloolaba back to Brisbane, the weather was clear and sunny, and I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of the Glasshouse Mountains west of the M1 highway. If you make it to this area, please take the opportunity to drive through the tourist roads (23 & 24) and take in the vistas from the lookout points they've created. It'll augment your karma -- I assure you.
What a shock. We went from off-season on the Sunshine Coast to the middle of a busy, bustling metropolis. I thought we'd get a gentle transition, but that's not what we got. Melbourne was quite genteel and manageable for us. Sydney is going to take a little orientation. That'll begin in a few minutes and get intense tomorrow. I'll post more then.
The B&B Sydney Harbour is a beautiful building. We're on the third floor and our room overlooks the circular quays and the opera house. It's a very old building, and has more character than any place I've stayed in a very long time.
Tonight I think we'll watch the Rugby match between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blue. From my experiences so far, I'll be rooting for the Maroons.
Mas Manana
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Australia Zoo - Tues 23 May
Guys: I had no idea it would be this difficult to access the Internet. I've been able to check email, but there's just been junk in my inbox. I feel sure we'll have better luck in Sydney, so I'll try to keep up.
We made it out to Australia Zoo today and spent the entire day there. It's expensive, but you do get the opportunity to get quite close to the animals (especially koalas). The only extra event we paid for was a tour of the animal hospital that receives injured or sick local wildlife. There were a lot of koalas there -- hit by cars, attacked by dogs, or sick. One little guy had been blinded in a dog attack, and another patient had the cutest little joey climbing all over her.
We got to feed and pet several kangaroos, too, but it wasn't the same as when we got to hold Mouse in Daintree. All in all, it was a good experience. We have yet to see Tasmanian devils, echidnas, or platypus, but maybe in Sydney. The real blessing was that there weren't very many visitors at the zoo, owing to the time of year and the cool, damp weather, so we didn't have to fight crowds. Ditto for Mooloolaba, generally.
We made it out to Australia Zoo today and spent the entire day there. It's expensive, but you do get the opportunity to get quite close to the animals (especially koalas). The only extra event we paid for was a tour of the animal hospital that receives injured or sick local wildlife. There were a lot of koalas there -- hit by cars, attacked by dogs, or sick. One little guy had been blinded in a dog attack, and another patient had the cutest little joey climbing all over her.
We got to feed and pet several kangaroos, too, but it wasn't the same as when we got to hold Mouse in Daintree. All in all, it was a good experience. We have yet to see Tasmanian devils, echidnas, or platypus, but maybe in Sydney. The real blessing was that there weren't very many visitors at the zoo, owing to the time of year and the cool, damp weather, so we didn't have to fight crowds. Ditto for Mooloolaba, generally.
Mooloolaba by Daylight; Sharks -- Mon 22 May
Damn. In a week I'll be home.
Today we poked around this place by daylight. Kind of a disappointment. How did I pick Moo-town again? Oh yeah -- on the coast, near Australia Zoo. I remember. I've been wondering if I really want to see another zoo, but April does so that's scheduled for tomorrow.
The big accomplishment for the day was me joining a group of divers going into the shark tank at Underwater World, an aquarium attraction owned and operated by the same people who run the Melbourne Aquarium. I think Underwater World is much better -- it seemed bigger, more creative, and more informative.
The dive was a typical aquarium dive -- double weighting, no fins, and no touching allowed. There were a couple of large leopard rays, several black rays, a wobbegong shark, a shark ray, a tawny nurse shark, and a couple of really big (about 8 ft) grey reef sharks (if I remember correctly). The only sharks I saw while diving the actual reef itself were a few small white tipped reef sharks, and I wanted to experience something bigger. You definitely see sharks differently when there's nothing between you and them but water. I wasn't scared, but I could feel my pulse quicken when one locked its eyes on me and came right at my head. I'm glad I got the experience. Not a formal "dive" under PADI rules, but it's going in my logbook anyway.
Now that I've used my scuba gear for the last time this trip, it all gets a thorough cleaning and airing out. We'll soon be ready for Sydney.
Today we poked around this place by daylight. Kind of a disappointment. How did I pick Moo-town again? Oh yeah -- on the coast, near Australia Zoo. I remember. I've been wondering if I really want to see another zoo, but April does so that's scheduled for tomorrow.
The big accomplishment for the day was me joining a group of divers going into the shark tank at Underwater World, an aquarium attraction owned and operated by the same people who run the Melbourne Aquarium. I think Underwater World is much better -- it seemed bigger, more creative, and more informative.
The dive was a typical aquarium dive -- double weighting, no fins, and no touching allowed. There were a couple of large leopard rays, several black rays, a wobbegong shark, a shark ray, a tawny nurse shark, and a couple of really big (about 8 ft) grey reef sharks (if I remember correctly). The only sharks I saw while diving the actual reef itself were a few small white tipped reef sharks, and I wanted to experience something bigger. You definitely see sharks differently when there's nothing between you and them but water. I wasn't scared, but I could feel my pulse quicken when one locked its eyes on me and came right at my head. I'm glad I got the experience. Not a formal "dive" under PADI rules, but it's going in my logbook anyway.
Now that I've used my scuba gear for the last time this trip, it all gets a thorough cleaning and airing out. We'll soon be ready for Sydney.
Cairns to Mooloolaba - Sun. 21 May
Our focus is returning to city life for the remainder of our trip, and the Sunshine Coast is a good transition from Far North Queensland to Sydney. The flight from Cairns to Brisbane except for two things. First, I got the opportunity to have a nice, long discussion with a lady from Brisbane, Joni, with whom I had a lot in common. Second, it felt like our plane had been shot down a few feet off the runway. It was one of the rougher landings I've experienced.
After driving to Mooloolaba (hereafter referred to as "this place" or "here"), things started going south. We arrived a little after eight pm, and drove around looking for our apartment. We finally found it, but the complex was completely locked-down. The office closed at 2:30pm on Sundays, we found out later. There was no answer at the reservations office when I called. We got back into the car and prepared to find alternative lodging for the night. I looked back and saw a man trying to get into the building, but having some difficulty. I got out of the car and asked him whether he knew how to contact the building manager.
"Yes, I'm the building manager," he said, "are you the people from Texas?"
I told him I was, and he grumbled and bitched about not knowing when we were arriving. Here was a drunken, one-armed man none too pleased to see us and we had to follow him around in order to get oriented. What a pleasure.
After driving to Mooloolaba (hereafter referred to as "this place" or "here"), things started going south. We arrived a little after eight pm, and drove around looking for our apartment. We finally found it, but the complex was completely locked-down. The office closed at 2:30pm on Sundays, we found out later. There was no answer at the reservations office when I called. We got back into the car and prepared to find alternative lodging for the night. I looked back and saw a man trying to get into the building, but having some difficulty. I got out of the car and asked him whether he knew how to contact the building manager.
"Yes, I'm the building manager," he said, "are you the people from Texas?"
I told him I was, and he grumbled and bitched about not knowing when we were arriving. Here was a drunken, one-armed man none too pleased to see us and we had to follow him around in order to get oriented. What a pleasure.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Departing Far North Queensland; Sunday 21 May
I'm sitting in the Cairns airport at an exorbitantly-priced Internet cafe waiting for my flight to board. This morning's activities included a leisurely awakening; a healthy breakfast of fresh tropical fruits, eggs, bacon, and a croissant; a calm stroll around the sanctuary bidding farewell to the animals; and watching live chickens being fed to saltwater crocodiles.
Yeah, I'm not kidding and I've got the video to prove it.
We drove back to Cairns from Daintree and stopped off at the Cairns Tropical Zoo. After staying at the Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary, the zoo was a great disappointment. Now we're reconsidering going to Australia Zoo because the experience simply won't live up to what we've already experienced. How can holding a koala for two minutes for a photo compare with having a wallaroo joey hop up in your lap, curl up, and suck its thumb? We'll find something else to do, methinks.
I've said this before, but I'll say it again: If you're considering visiting Far North Queensland, spend a couple of days at the Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary. The atmosphere is so home-like and pleasant and you are so close to the animals that you can't help but have a memorable experience there. Gil & Donna are the most wonderful hosts, and the place just keeps getting better and better.
While you're up here (and I've remembered to add links), spend one night at the Cape Trib Farmstay. You can head north to Cooktown, west into the forest, or out into the bush. Regardless, you'll get the most marvellous fruit available!
Today we head to Brisbane and on to Mooloolaba. All I can think of right now is a shower and a laundry. My dive gear STINKS and I need somewhere dry where I can wash it (it was useless trying to dry anything in the tropics).
I now have cell phone access again, so you can reach me directly in an emergency, and I hope I'll have a little closer access to the Internet in Mooloolaba.
Cheers!
Yeah, I'm not kidding and I've got the video to prove it.
We drove back to Cairns from Daintree and stopped off at the Cairns Tropical Zoo. After staying at the Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary, the zoo was a great disappointment. Now we're reconsidering going to Australia Zoo because the experience simply won't live up to what we've already experienced. How can holding a koala for two minutes for a photo compare with having a wallaroo joey hop up in your lap, curl up, and suck its thumb? We'll find something else to do, methinks.
I've said this before, but I'll say it again: If you're considering visiting Far North Queensland, spend a couple of days at the Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary. The atmosphere is so home-like and pleasant and you are so close to the animals that you can't help but have a memorable experience there. Gil & Donna are the most wonderful hosts, and the place just keeps getting better and better.
While you're up here (and I've remembered to add links), spend one night at the Cape Trib Farmstay. You can head north to Cooktown, west into the forest, or out into the bush. Regardless, you'll get the most marvellous fruit available!
Today we head to Brisbane and on to Mooloolaba. All I can think of right now is a shower and a laundry. My dive gear STINKS and I need somewhere dry where I can wash it (it was useless trying to dry anything in the tropics).
I now have cell phone access again, so you can reach me directly in an emergency, and I hope I'll have a little closer access to the Internet in Mooloolaba.
Cheers!
Friday, May 19, 2006
Sorry, No Photos
Just a heads-up: I haven't been able to upload any photos any where in a while. The computers available to me don't have a USB port or CD-ROM drive available, so I can't upload anything. I'll keep my eyes open -- I got some GREAT shots I'm dying to share. April getting mauled by Emu chicks, a cassowary staring me down looking for my weak underbelly (didn't take it long), and other things too wondrous to mention.
WILDLIFE! Friday, 19 May
Today was definitely wildlife day. We spent Thursday night deep in the rain forest, and even without A/C we were comfortable. Of course, we and all our belongings were clammy-wet, but we'll be back in A/C soon and all will dry out. We hope.
The day started with coffee and fruit -- farm-fresh grapefruit, mangosteens, and passion fruit. We packed up and returned to the farmhouse to check out, and there was an adult male cassowary with two chicks in tow nosing around the deck eating fallen soursop fruits. The cassowary is an endangered species (only around 1200 left), so it was a spectacular treat two see an adult and two young that close up. It's got a dangerous set of claws that it can use to disembowel attackers. one of the owner's dogs bore the scars from an altercation with one and it wasn't pretty.
We drove south from Cape Tribulation along Captain Cook's Highway and stopped at the Dubaji Boardwalk, a nature walk through a mangrove forest/swamp that illustrated the transition from forest to the ocean. It's also the place where two UN World Heritage Areas intersect -- the Daintree rain forest and the Great Barrier Reef. I got some good photos of a peppermint stick insect. This creature feeds on sedges at the edge of the swamp and to deter predators it emits a noxious, irritating liquid that smells like peppermint.
Heading farther on, we stopped at a rainforest interpretive center that included a boardwalk through the various levels of the rainforest, from the ground up to the canopy. We were hot and sticky from all our walking and climbing so we stopped off at the center's coffee shop for a capuccino & Gatorade and a chat about cassowaries with the staff.
'Round about 4:00, we checked in to the Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary, where we'll be spending Fri and Sat nights. We took a quick tour of the sanctuary before we cleaned up for dinner. I'll add more about this place next time, but I assure you it will all be good. Our host showed us up-close-and-personal how terrifying the Australian Saltwater Crocodile can be. She threw a couple of pebbles into a pond beneath a boardwalk we were on and the water exploded with the jaws of a huge male croc leaping from the water. Except for a small stream of bubbles, there had been no indication of his presence. April caught it on video. We saw two baby marsupials (joeys): a Euro (or wallaroo) and an eastern grey kangaroo. They were carried around in hand-sewn pouches and were about as cute as anything I've seen. We saw many birds and took many photos - more next time!
The day started with coffee and fruit -- farm-fresh grapefruit, mangosteens, and passion fruit. We packed up and returned to the farmhouse to check out, and there was an adult male cassowary with two chicks in tow nosing around the deck eating fallen soursop fruits. The cassowary is an endangered species (only around 1200 left), so it was a spectacular treat two see an adult and two young that close up. It's got a dangerous set of claws that it can use to disembowel attackers. one of the owner's dogs bore the scars from an altercation with one and it wasn't pretty.
We drove south from Cape Tribulation along Captain Cook's Highway and stopped at the Dubaji Boardwalk, a nature walk through a mangrove forest/swamp that illustrated the transition from forest to the ocean. It's also the place where two UN World Heritage Areas intersect -- the Daintree rain forest and the Great Barrier Reef. I got some good photos of a peppermint stick insect. This creature feeds on sedges at the edge of the swamp and to deter predators it emits a noxious, irritating liquid that smells like peppermint.
Heading farther on, we stopped at a rainforest interpretive center that included a boardwalk through the various levels of the rainforest, from the ground up to the canopy. We were hot and sticky from all our walking and climbing so we stopped off at the center's coffee shop for a capuccino & Gatorade and a chat about cassowaries with the staff.
'Round about 4:00, we checked in to the Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary, where we'll be spending Fri and Sat nights. We took a quick tour of the sanctuary before we cleaned up for dinner. I'll add more about this place next time, but I assure you it will all be good. Our host showed us up-close-and-personal how terrifying the Australian Saltwater Crocodile can be. She threw a couple of pebbles into a pond beneath a boardwalk we were on and the water exploded with the jaws of a huge male croc leaping from the water. Except for a small stream of bubbles, there had been no indication of his presence. April caught it on video. We saw two baby marsupials (joeys): a Euro (or wallaroo) and an eastern grey kangaroo. They were carried around in hand-sewn pouches and were about as cute as anything I've seen. We saw many birds and took many photos - more next time!
Middle. Of. Nowhere. Thursday Evening, 18 May
Tonight we're sleeping in a 14'x14' cabin in a tropical fruit farm in the Daintree Rain Forest. This is called a "farmstay" accomodation, and it's quite unique. When we drove up,our reservation was under "Kevin," so when I gave them my last name they didn't recognize it and thought I had just dropped in unannounced.
The drive north from Cairns took us a couple of hours, but it was spectacular. April said it looked like Hawaii. Lush green mountains falling away to a crystal blue sea. The road, for the most part, was a narrow, two-lane, barely-paved track with a steep rock wall on the left and dense jungle on the right. The occasional rocky stream crossed the road, generally under it , but a couple had been routed right through the roadway. We saw a cassowary leisurely crossing the highway at one point along the way. They're a quite dangerous, but beautifully-colored relative of the Emu.
The cabins here at Cape Trib Farmstay are solar-powered, so there is no air conditioning. The temperature is in the low 80's (F), but it started raining shortly after we arrived so it's pretty humid (no surprise in a rain forest).
Tomorrow, we pack up and drive back south, stopping at jungle boardwalks that meander through the forest. We'll re-cross the daintree river on the ferry and spend tomorrow night at the Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary.
The drive north from Cairns took us a couple of hours, but it was spectacular. April said it looked like Hawaii. Lush green mountains falling away to a crystal blue sea. The road, for the most part, was a narrow, two-lane, barely-paved track with a steep rock wall on the left and dense jungle on the right. The occasional rocky stream crossed the road, generally under it , but a couple had been routed right through the roadway. We saw a cassowary leisurely crossing the highway at one point along the way. They're a quite dangerous, but beautifully-colored relative of the Emu.
The cabins here at Cape Trib Farmstay are solar-powered, so there is no air conditioning. The temperature is in the low 80's (F), but it started raining shortly after we arrived so it's pretty humid (no surprise in a rain forest).
Tomorrow, we pack up and drive back south, stopping at jungle boardwalks that meander through the forest. We'll re-cross the daintree river on the ferry and spend tomorrow night at the Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary.
Great Barrier Reef -- Mon. 15 May
This is it - the second most important part of our trip. Diving the Great Barrier Reef National Marine Park. We awoke early, checked out of our hotel, and met the representatives of Mike Ball's Dive Expeditions in the hotel's restaurant. The 10 of us then hopped in their bus with our dive gear and headed to the airport. We boarded one of two Cessna 404 turboprops and headed north to Lizard Island, an exclusive resort with its own airstrip. We transferred to the M/V Spoil Sport by inflatable tender boats and got introduced to the crew. We were to head out to the Cod Hole and be diving within two hours, so we all got started setting up our gear. Between my photos and videos and the DVDs we had made of the trip, it's pretty well documented, so I'll have some great show-and-tell stuff when I get back.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Safe Return from Sea!
I'm pleased to report that we've survived our dive trip. I did 10 dives over the three days, including two night dives and one drift dive. As expected, the wildlife was fantastic and the colors were truly indescribable. I've honestly never seen such colors on land, anywhere.
We didn't have any seasickness, even though we were buffetted by 30 knot winds for most of the trip.
We met some great people from Sydney, California, and Brasil, and there was a large contingent of Russian tourists on board that didn't speak English. The Mike Ball staff are outstanding -- I recommend them if you're diving the Great Barrier Reef or Papua New Guinea.
I got DVDs of the general trip plus one of my own dives, so there will be some great stuff to see when we get back.
Right now, I'm back in the Internet cafe at the Cairns Colonial Club about to board a shuttle to pick up a rental car. We're driving up north to Cape Tribulation, deep in the Daintree rainforest.
More soon.
Kevin
We didn't have any seasickness, even though we were buffetted by 30 knot winds for most of the trip.
We met some great people from Sydney, California, and Brasil, and there was a large contingent of Russian tourists on board that didn't speak English. The Mike Ball staff are outstanding -- I recommend them if you're diving the Great Barrier Reef or Papua New Guinea.
I got DVDs of the general trip plus one of my own dives, so there will be some great stuff to see when we get back.
Right now, I'm back in the Internet cafe at the Cairns Colonial Club about to board a shuttle to pick up a rental car. We're driving up north to Cape Tribulation, deep in the Daintree rainforest.
More soon.
Kevin
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Cairns, QLD, Australia
OK, I know that many people will consider this heresy, but here goes: I'm not all that impressed with Cairns. I know that I'm over 40 and that my experience here was on a Sunday evening when most everything was closed, but I just didn't get it, and I didn't see where I could even go to get it. The city reminds me of one of the old beach towns on the Bolivar peninsula south of Galveston, Texas, only all grown up with a thriving tourism industry.
Tonight we successfully completed our laundry duties and have packed (mostly) for the boat. I've been trying to clear space on my largest digital camera card so that I don't have to miss a photo up in the rain forest where buying a new card simply isn't an option. Mark burned me a DVD of the photos on the card, but the paranoiac in me wanted to SEE the pics on the disc before I deleted them from the card. I know what it's like burning things to disc late at night. Excrement Occurs, as they say. But, I know that the contents were successfully copied onto their hard disk, so I'm going to leave it up to the gods to ensure that I get the photos home intact. I'm actually confident there won't be any problems. I'm sure that in either Mooloolaba or Sydney I'll be able to wrap up all of my digital issues.
Preparing for this trip, I bought several pieces of damn expensive specialty travel clothing -- clothes that can be hand-washed and dry quickly. Also, they wick moisture away from the body and are very well ventilated. Now these clothes were something less than an advantage in the chilly south, but up here I'm enjoying them quite a bit. I changed into shorts just as quickly as modesty would allow me and I'm cursing the cotton clothes that required another $3 dryer cycle to dry. Note that for your future reference.
I also bought a tank banger, since I've been having trouble getting peoples' attention underwater lately. That reminds me -- Cairns is a huge diving mecca -- it's one of the big launching points for expeditions to the reef. However, walking around the Esplanade area (the touristy area where all the shops are), I saw maybe two dive shops that had gear, and their selection wasn't as good as any of the dive shops in San Antonio. Now, again, I'm sure there are fantastic dive shops here, but they weren't located where it's easy for the tourists to find them.
Tonight we successfully completed our laundry duties and have packed (mostly) for the boat. I've been trying to clear space on my largest digital camera card so that I don't have to miss a photo up in the rain forest where buying a new card simply isn't an option. Mark burned me a DVD of the photos on the card, but the paranoiac in me wanted to SEE the pics on the disc before I deleted them from the card. I know what it's like burning things to disc late at night. Excrement Occurs, as they say. But, I know that the contents were successfully copied onto their hard disk, so I'm going to leave it up to the gods to ensure that I get the photos home intact. I'm actually confident there won't be any problems. I'm sure that in either Mooloolaba or Sydney I'll be able to wrap up all of my digital issues.
Preparing for this trip, I bought several pieces of damn expensive specialty travel clothing -- clothes that can be hand-washed and dry quickly. Also, they wick moisture away from the body and are very well ventilated. Now these clothes were something less than an advantage in the chilly south, but up here I'm enjoying them quite a bit. I changed into shorts just as quickly as modesty would allow me and I'm cursing the cotton clothes that required another $3 dryer cycle to dry. Note that for your future reference.
I also bought a tank banger, since I've been having trouble getting peoples' attention underwater lately. That reminds me -- Cairns is a huge diving mecca -- it's one of the big launching points for expeditions to the reef. However, walking around the Esplanade area (the touristy area where all the shops are), I saw maybe two dive shops that had gear, and their selection wasn't as good as any of the dive shops in San Antonio. Now, again, I'm sure there are fantastic dive shops here, but they weren't located where it's easy for the tourists to find them.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Entering the Tropics
Wow. What a difference a 3-hr flight makes. We left a drizzly, foggy, chilly Phillip Island and landed in a balmy, sunny, 82F Cairns. We checked into the hotel and right now we are waiting for the hourly shuttle to town to pick us up to run some errands and visit the city. Tomorrow bright & early the reps from Mike Ball dive expeditions will be picking us up to take us to our little plane for our dive trip, so it's going to be an early night. We've got loads of laundry to catch up on and we need to pack our boat bags with only the absolute essentials: weight and space will be at a premium.
As much as I've been looking forward to this dive trip, I always hate leaving. Anywhere. So it was tough for me to put Victoria behind us. We received such a warm welcome and had an absolutely first-rate tour of the island that it will definitely be an experience I'll carry with me for a lifetime.
Unless I come back to blog tonight, I'll be offline for a few days. I know I'll be out of touch on the boat, and I have no idea whether the rainforest is equipped with high-speed Internet access (want to take bets?). At the very least I'll write some things out long-hand and post when I get to Mooloolaba. Note: The stresses in Mooloolaba are on the second and fourth syllable. So stress the toilet and the sheep. Just like the Aggies. :)
Peace & harmony to all you guys.
Kevin
As much as I've been looking forward to this dive trip, I always hate leaving. Anywhere. So it was tough for me to put Victoria behind us. We received such a warm welcome and had an absolutely first-rate tour of the island that it will definitely be an experience I'll carry with me for a lifetime.
Unless I come back to blog tonight, I'll be offline for a few days. I know I'll be out of touch on the boat, and I have no idea whether the rainforest is equipped with high-speed Internet access (want to take bets?). At the very least I'll write some things out long-hand and post when I get to Mooloolaba. Note: The stresses in Mooloolaba are on the second and fourth syllable. So stress the toilet and the sheep. Just like the Aggies. :)
Peace & harmony to all you guys.
Kevin
Leaving Victoria
Wow. A third of our trip is behind us. I can't look at it that way, though, because there's so much ahead. Still, though, our visit to Phillip Island has been so enjoyable that we are definitely rueing our departure. Our hosts have been magnificent -- Lesley, Mark, & the kids are absolutely the best. It was really gratifying to see how the bright, beautiful personality I saw in Lesley in high school has matured over time. April & I are indebted to Lesley's parents for providing us such wonderful accomodations, as well as for giving me a guide to the early-morning bird life of the island.
Last night we exchanged recipes. I made a huge pot of gumbo which, although not my best, was quite passable. I showed Lesley how to ignore the recipe I brought and how to make a roux the hard way. She showed us how to make a Pavlova -- a meringue/cream/passion fruit dessert that's an Australian tradition.
April is really concerned about her mom's dog Penny. Apparently, Penny and our dog Lizzie got into a disagreement of some sort and attempted to settle things in a most immature and unprofessional manner. It appears that Lizzie won the debate, but that Penny took away a few war wounds. I'm not sure how bad it is, but Penny's definitely in our thoughts right now. Lizzie will definitely have some 'splainin' to do when we get home.
It's nearly 5:00 in the morning here right now, and we've got a long drive to the Melbourne airport ahead of us, but I wanted to get this note off while I still have reliable access to the 'net. I don't know what we'll do during our half-day Sunday in Cairns, but I won't have any communication access between Monday morning and Thursday, so expect total silence from us during that time. Actually, if you have a copy of our itinerary then we gave you a contact number for the dive tour operator. In the event of a true emergency, you can contact them and they'll radio the boat.
Well, off we go again.
Last night we exchanged recipes. I made a huge pot of gumbo which, although not my best, was quite passable. I showed Lesley how to ignore the recipe I brought and how to make a roux the hard way. She showed us how to make a Pavlova -- a meringue/cream/passion fruit dessert that's an Australian tradition.
April is really concerned about her mom's dog Penny. Apparently, Penny and our dog Lizzie got into a disagreement of some sort and attempted to settle things in a most immature and unprofessional manner. It appears that Lizzie won the debate, but that Penny took away a few war wounds. I'm not sure how bad it is, but Penny's definitely in our thoughts right now. Lizzie will definitely have some 'splainin' to do when we get home.
It's nearly 5:00 in the morning here right now, and we've got a long drive to the Melbourne airport ahead of us, but I wanted to get this note off while I still have reliable access to the 'net. I don't know what we'll do during our half-day Sunday in Cairns, but I won't have any communication access between Monday morning and Thursday, so expect total silence from us during that time. Actually, if you have a copy of our itinerary then we gave you a contact number for the dive tour operator. In the event of a true emergency, you can contact them and they'll radio the boat.
Well, off we go again.
Friday, May 12, 2006
The Weather Down South. No, I mean that literally.
G'day, Beloveds:Let's talk about weather. This morning it's raining on Phillip Island. This is only the second time since we arrived that it's actually rained. There has been precipitation, but it's largely been of the drizzly, damp, foggy kind. The funny thing is that although it's raining right now, I have no reason to believe that it won't be sunny and (relatively) warm later on today. I also can't promise it won't rain the whole damn day. Oh, well.
That's been the pattern for us here throughout Victoria. You should be prepared for every kind of weather when you head out in the morning. That means your gear should include a raincoat and/or umbrella, sun hat and perhaps sunscreen, and a coat over a lightweight shirt so you can adapt to the temperature ranges.
We covered a lot of kilometers Friday. We visited the Koala Sanctuary, the town of Cowes, the Nobbies, and Pyramid Rock. Bigger pictures of these attractions are on the Grove Street site, but I've included a few samples.Lesley, April & I talked a lot about education yesterday, which is logical because that's what Lesley does. I assumed there were vast differences between the US educational system and the Australian, and there are. A couple of things that struck me. First, a trivial difference: The most common foreign languages taught in schools in this area are Indonesian and Japanese. I don't know why I assumed that a Commonwealth country would maintain the same ties to Europe that the UK, but it makes sense to learn the languages you're most likely to use. In the Yew Ess, we mostly learn Spanish and French, with some goobers like me learning German and some even more goober-ish goobers learning other languages.
Also, there is somewhat less emphasis in Australian schools on extra-curricular activities like sports, theater, debate, chess club, etc. than in the US. Those are pretty much left to the parents to arrange, while the schools just deal with education. Although my first instinct is to applaud the focus on education, Lesley makes a good observation that, done well, those extracurricular activities give kids the opportunity to learn and use special skills, socialize with others, and all in the context of a communal project.
Anyway, you don't want to read the opinions of someone with no experience or training in education. I'm sure my opinions would change if I had an investment in the educational process.
Today, we are headed out to Churchill Island for a visit, then preparing some Louisiana-style food, and watching the fairy penguins waddle up to their burrows after a long day hunting.
Tomorrow, up at the crack of dawn to catch a flight to Cairns, in Far North Queensland.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Friday Morning on Phillip Island
I made coffee around 7.00 this morning and grabbed the camera and went outside a bit to take a few pictures of the birds that were screeching outside the house. They were easily spooked, so I couldn't get very close, but I'm getting better. Tomorrow I hope to get out before dawn and record some of the bird calls with the video camera -- they're different.
Although I can now access the Internet pretty regularly, I don't yet have the ability to upload photos. I've got enough storage space to last me a while, but I'd like to illustrate the blog to make it more real to you guys. Hopefully, this afternoon I'll get my hosts' technical issues resolved and get them uploaded.
These pics, along with my earlier pictures, can be viewed at http://www.grovestreet.com/
K
Although I can now access the Internet pretty regularly, I don't yet have the ability to upload photos. I've got enough storage space to last me a while, but I'd like to illustrate the blog to make it more real to you guys. Hopefully, this afternoon I'll get my hosts' technical issues resolved and get them uploaded.
These pics, along with my earlier pictures, can be viewed at http://www.grovestreet.com/
K
Please Add Comments
At the bottom of each of my posts, you will see a "# comments" link. If you click this, you can make comments on these posts -- ask questions, make suggestions, etc. I'd personally appreciate it if you would use this feature. Don't post anything you wouldn't want the entire world to see, since it's not private at all, but it would let me know we're keeping you informed.
From Melbourne to Newhaven (Phillip Island)
Yesterday (Thursday !!??!!), April & I drove from Melbourne south to Phillip Island, where we met up with Lesley & her kids. They have a beautiful house that overlooks the bay and Churchill Island.
I'm pleased to report that nobody was injured during the drive, and that although my fear of driving on the left side of the road faded rapidly once we got moving, I can't offer the same assurance regarding the other drivers on the road. The folks at Europcar upgraded us to a larger car (Ha! Look out, here we come!), a Mitsubishi Magna, and the ride was very comfortable. All in all, the most frustrating thing about driving here now is remembering that the turn signal is on the right side of the steering column and the windshield wipers are on the left. I almost never use the main rear-view mirror, as it's not where it's "supposed" to be.
It's interesting how different some of the vegetation is. Many of the plants and trees are new to me, and yet there are citrus trees (lemons, oranges) growing in our hosts' driveway. Oh well, I'm easily amazed, and amused.
I constantly forget that we're so far away from our normal orientation -- I forgot that a bank of north-facing windows does not, in fact, make a room colder as it would in the northern hemisphere.
I'm pleased to report that nobody was injured during the drive, and that although my fear of driving on the left side of the road faded rapidly once we got moving, I can't offer the same assurance regarding the other drivers on the road. The folks at Europcar upgraded us to a larger car (Ha! Look out, here we come!), a Mitsubishi Magna, and the ride was very comfortable. All in all, the most frustrating thing about driving here now is remembering that the turn signal is on the right side of the steering column and the windshield wipers are on the left. I almost never use the main rear-view mirror, as it's not where it's "supposed" to be.
It's interesting how different some of the vegetation is. Many of the plants and trees are new to me, and yet there are citrus trees (lemons, oranges) growing in our hosts' driveway. Oh well, I'm easily amazed, and amused.
I constantly forget that we're so far away from our normal orientation -- I forgot that a bank of north-facing windows does not, in fact, make a room colder as it would in the northern hemisphere.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Dracula's and Driving
Well, it's Thursday morning, and we're girding our loins for the drive down to Phillip Island this afternoon.
Last night we attended a dinner show at a cabaret called "Dracula's" on Victoria street on the North side of the CBD. If you're in Melbourne, I strongly recommend catching this show. The cast was talented and funny and, believe it or not, the food was excellent! I had the vegetarian curry, which was some of the best I've had, and April had Lamb Noisettes which she also liked.
A few more comments on the Aussie culture: Walking about in town, you see a LOT of young people in Melbourne. Teenagers, kids in school uniforms, young 20-somethings working, studying, or backpacking through town. I chatted up a Canadian girl working at Starbucks who was here for several months just travelling around. It makes me wish I was younger and was used to a lower standard of living. Of course, if that were the case I wouldn't have been able to afford the airline ticket to get here, so the point's pretty much moot.
I hope someone's actually reading this -- I'd hate to be doing this for nothing.
Regretfully, it hasn't been possible for me to get pictures from my camera to the Internet, so you're pretty much dependent on my scrawlings for a little while. When we get to Phillip Island I should have access to a more secure, fast connection and will try to upload more then.
My time at this computer is almost up, so I'll sign off. Mwah!
Last night we attended a dinner show at a cabaret called "Dracula's" on Victoria street on the North side of the CBD. If you're in Melbourne, I strongly recommend catching this show. The cast was talented and funny and, believe it or not, the food was excellent! I had the vegetarian curry, which was some of the best I've had, and April had Lamb Noisettes which she also liked.
A few more comments on the Aussie culture: Walking about in town, you see a LOT of young people in Melbourne. Teenagers, kids in school uniforms, young 20-somethings working, studying, or backpacking through town. I chatted up a Canadian girl working at Starbucks who was here for several months just travelling around. It makes me wish I was younger and was used to a lower standard of living. Of course, if that were the case I wouldn't have been able to afford the airline ticket to get here, so the point's pretty much moot.
I hope someone's actually reading this -- I'd hate to be doing this for nothing.
Regretfully, it hasn't been possible for me to get pictures from my camera to the Internet, so you're pretty much dependent on my scrawlings for a little while. When we get to Phillip Island I should have access to a more secure, fast connection and will try to upload more then.
My time at this computer is almost up, so I'll sign off. Mwah!
Wednesday Evening
[Updated 12 May 08.00 to clarify some text]
We're in an internet cafe waiting for a dinner-club around the corner to open. The place is called "Dracula's" and it's a Rocky-Horror style comedy dinner theater on Victoria St. near Lygon.
Today we took a cruise along the Yarra river. I took lots of photos of random architecture that will likely mean nothing to me when I return home, but at least I can prove I was here.
You know what? The Australian culture is definitely different from the US culture, but it's really hard to put my finger on exactly how or why. That's one of the questions that I'm determined to get answered before I return. Our time so far has been spent in a big city, about the same size as Houston. That always gives a culture a different "flavor," so to speak. Even though I consider myself a "city person," I'm looking forward to getting out of the city tomorrow. Although I must say that I'm still crapping my drawers over the thought of driving.
It's not just that you drive on the opposite side of the road -- in Melbourne, they've developed a whole set of unique driving rules that would make sense nowhere else in the world. For example, some intersections require a "hook turn." When there are tram tracks running parallel to your lane, you must stay to the far left (the typical lane for turning left) if you want to make a turn. The right (center) lane is the through lane. You wait in the far-left lane until your light turns yellow, then you check traffic and scream through your turn, crossing three lanes of traffic (two opposing and one coming from behind you) and two tram lines in the process (plus pedestrians). I've worked myself into a frenzy over this. Valium, anyone?
We're in an internet cafe waiting for a dinner-club around the corner to open. The place is called "Dracula's" and it's a Rocky-Horror style comedy dinner theater on Victoria St. near Lygon.
Today we took a cruise along the Yarra river. I took lots of photos of random architecture that will likely mean nothing to me when I return home, but at least I can prove I was here.
You know what? The Australian culture is definitely different from the US culture, but it's really hard to put my finger on exactly how or why. That's one of the questions that I'm determined to get answered before I return. Our time so far has been spent in a big city, about the same size as Houston. That always gives a culture a different "flavor," so to speak. Even though I consider myself a "city person," I'm looking forward to getting out of the city tomorrow. Although I must say that I'm still crapping my drawers over the thought of driving.
It's not just that you drive on the opposite side of the road -- in Melbourne, they've developed a whole set of unique driving rules that would make sense nowhere else in the world. For example, some intersections require a "hook turn." When there are tram tracks running parallel to your lane, you must stay to the far left (the typical lane for turning left) if you want to make a turn. The right (center) lane is the through lane. You wait in the far-left lane until your light turns yellow, then you check traffic and scream through your turn, crossing three lanes of traffic (two opposing and one coming from behind you) and two tram lines in the process (plus pedestrians). I've worked myself into a frenzy over this. Valium, anyone?
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
First Post
Sorry about the delay - I finally made it to an actual computer. True to form, I killed another AC adaptor, this time to my Palm, which I WAS going to use to update this blog. It's standard procedure for me to either forget, lose, or destroy an AC adaptor when I travel.
Anyway, it's now Wednesday morning in Melbourne and I'll have to catch you up on our adventures.
Monday, we were still disoriented from the flight, so we went to the Melbourne Visitors Centre (an excellent resource, by the way), and booked a bus trip around town and out into the Dandenong mountains. That enabled us to sightsee and get spatially oriented while our internal clocks got re-set. We fed some Rosellas, cockatoos, and other parrot-like birds, and had tea. I got some great photos of us feeding birds from our hands and being used as a perch. We also tried Vegemite. Standard response for an American, I'm afraid -- not my favorite food-like substance. We did grab a sample or two to bring home.
Tuesday, we made a big circle around the central business district on the free city circle tram, visited Queen Victoria Market, and went to the Melbourne Aquarium. We also wore out a good bit of shoe leather, I assure you.
For lunch, we ate some fish & chips from the food court in the Queen Victoria Market. It wasn't very good at all. As we pushed further into the market, we saw what we missed -- stall after stall of delicatessens, specialty foods, and other goodies. Lesley has promised to take us for good fish & chips while we're on Phillip Island.
Anyway, it's now Wednesday morning in Melbourne and I'll have to catch you up on our adventures.
Monday, we were still disoriented from the flight, so we went to the Melbourne Visitors Centre (an excellent resource, by the way), and booked a bus trip around town and out into the Dandenong mountains. That enabled us to sightsee and get spatially oriented while our internal clocks got re-set. We fed some Rosellas, cockatoos, and other parrot-like birds, and had tea. I got some great photos of us feeding birds from our hands and being used as a perch. We also tried Vegemite. Standard response for an American, I'm afraid -- not my favorite food-like substance. We did grab a sample or two to bring home.
Tuesday, we made a big circle around the central business district on the free city circle tram, visited Queen Victoria Market, and went to the Melbourne Aquarium. We also wore out a good bit of shoe leather, I assure you.
For lunch, we ate some fish & chips from the food court in the Queen Victoria Market. It wasn't very good at all. As we pushed further into the market, we saw what we missed -- stall after stall of delicatessens, specialty foods, and other goodies. Lesley has promised to take us for good fish & chips while we're on Phillip Island.
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