Ok, back from a sand-filled trip to Fraser Island, but first need to catch up on the previous week.
After Brisbane I headed down to Byron Bay, which has a very hippie-slash-new-age reputation, but also is supposed to have one of the best beaches, especially for surfing, in Australia. Which it does. Although it was a bit too chilly and windy for me, so I spent the first day at the hostel by the pool. A lovely, warm, salt water pool, actually. Not what you likely picture in a hostel! The first evening I visited the local backpacker bars with one of my roommates, an Israeli girl who is between jobs as well. We laughed at the crazy antics of Cheeky Monkeys (think Daytona Beach of South Padre Island spring break) and couldn't stay up late enough to make a go of Cocamangas. (There was one person dancing when we were there and it only took us 3 seconds to finish our free drink, courtesy of the hostel, that was the equivalent of a thimble of fruit juice.) We wandered the town for a while, but that doesn't take very long either. Picture Boulder, Colorado plunked on a beach in California and you get a picture of what Byron Bay is like. There are offers to read your aura everywhere. I don't think I appreciated the delights of Byron as much as many people, as I had my fill of the hippie vibe at Colorado College and am a bit old for the backpacker antics of the spring breakish bars.
There's also the upmarket side of Byron, but I couldn't participate in that either, given that it would have meant spending hundreds a day on accommodation and even more at the local clothing boutiques. The 2nd morning in Byron I spent sea kayaking off the beach, which was fantastic. Our tour guide was from Manhattan Beach, California and had quit his engineering job after 15 years to "enjoy life." It was great both for the exercise and for the wildlife. We were kayaking amongst a pod of dolphins that would come right up alongside us and then dive down below to check us out. I'm not sure if we were on a dolphin-watching cruise or if they were on a human-watching one. My fellow kayaker, a Danish girl, and I did really well together - we didn't tip and had to keep slowing down for the other groups. However, she had never kayaked or canoed before and kept paddling with really fast, short strokes instead of the longer strokes the guide had told us to use. I was in the back and was trying to keep up and was exhausted by the time we were done. I couldn't figure out a polite way to tell a stranger that she was doing it wrong!
Back on land one of the English couples was telling us about their trip to Thailand the previous week. They were on a 5 week honeymoon and had started in Thailand. At the very end of a boating trip the guide offered to take a picture of them and then promptly dropped their camera over the side of a waterfall, never to be seen again. They were so upset. They had lost all of their honeymoon photos including an elephant trek. Needless to say I immediately went to the internet cafe and uploaded pictures and also burned them onto a CD. I am so paranoid of losing my pictures! That and booking the rest of my time in Queensland took up most of the rest of the day - I finished with "gourmet fish & chips" which were amazing and then stayed in for the rest of the night. Three of my dorm roommates - I think they were Swedish - were in bed before 7pm and were still asleep when I got up at 7am. Apparently they went on "Jim's Alternative Tour" to Nimbin, known for its lenient drug laws. Not a great ad for that tour. Although it was a difficult decision, I decided to skip that.
Off the next morning to start heading back north to Cairns. First stop, Noosa!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Photos from the outback (reverting back a few days)
Ok, so since this blog now allows me to add photos, I'm going to add a few more from Alice Springs and the Outback... sorry for going backwards chronologically!
The sign is in Alice Springs. The camel rides were on our way to the Outback from there. And the 4 wheeler was my first day in Alice Springs.
More photos from Lone Pine
Momma kangaroo. The joey just popped his head out right before I took this picture. Notice both his head and leg are sticking out. Can't be comfortable.
Wish someone would come up and feed me while I'm lying in the shade relaxing.
Come out come out wherever you are!
Just can't seem to get this itch....
Hanging out in the kindergarten. Seriously, this area was called the kindergarten. Doesn't he look like a kindergartner hanging out in the sandbox?Koalas are not bears
I wish I could say I got up at the crack of dawn to experience Brisbane fully, but the truth is I slept until after 9am and then leisurely got ready for my day. I attempted communication with my 3 Asian roommates, but gave up when I realized we had a common language of about 4 words. Instead I set into town to buy lunch and catch the bus to the Koala Sanctuary a friend from Brisbane had recommended. I wandered up and down Adelaide Street, looking for bus 445 near the town hall as listed in the flyer for the Sanctuary. Luckily there was a phone number for the bus company who notified me that the bus actually picks up on Ann Street, parallel to Adelaide on the other side of the town hall. This was getting to be a theme with Brisbane. But I eventually found it and was at the Koala Sanctuary within an hour.
The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the oldest in Australia (first started with only 2 koalas 80 years ago - that couldn't have been a very interesting visit) and now the largest. One of its main attractions is the "Cuddle a Koala" section where you can hold a koala and have your picture taken. This is only allowed in the state of Queensland. I got there minutes before the sheep dog demonstration, and spent the next 90 minutes dashing from that to the koala talk to the kangaroo talk. All were so interesting. I spent the rest of the day feeding kangaroos, petting koalas and observing other local animals like wombats, crocodiles and birds. I was having such a great time I had finally gotten the kookaburra song out of my head. Then of course, the last animal I saw before I left was, you guessed it, the kookaburra and the song proceeded to drive me crazy for the entire bus ride back to Brisbane.
Back in Brisbane, I decided to stop in for a cheap dinner at a hostel with an attached bar/restaurant. I had planned to then head back to my hostel to change into something warmer (the nights in Brisbane were fairly cool) but got talking to my two neighbors, lawyers who had stopped in for the cheap meals. Both lived in Brisbane, although one was originally from South Africa. We had a great time chatting about places we'd been and the Aussie kept me entertained with his detailed account of a few weeks spent in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. (Not exactly the benchmark for life in America!) I was about to head out when the bar announced the start of the trivia competition, and the three of us decided to enter under the team name "Rock the Casbaw" (Casbaw being a combination of our initials). Wow, were we bad. I knew that Chinese brides wear red, but other than that I was pretty useless. Did you know brontophobia is the fear of thunder? We didn't leave until after 1am (and I had gotten there at 7) and one of the guys dropped me off at my hostel in a taxi on his way home. Luckily my bus wasn't until noon the next day! I felt worse for the guys who had to be in court the next day (or maybe I should have felt worse for the guys they were defending). A three hour bus ride to Byron Bay and into a completely different world!
The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the oldest in Australia (first started with only 2 koalas 80 years ago - that couldn't have been a very interesting visit) and now the largest. One of its main attractions is the "Cuddle a Koala" section where you can hold a koala and have your picture taken. This is only allowed in the state of Queensland. I got there minutes before the sheep dog demonstration, and spent the next 90 minutes dashing from that to the koala talk to the kangaroo talk. All were so interesting. I spent the rest of the day feeding kangaroos, petting koalas and observing other local animals like wombats, crocodiles and birds. I was having such a great time I had finally gotten the kookaburra song out of my head. Then of course, the last animal I saw before I left was, you guessed it, the kookaburra and the song proceeded to drive me crazy for the entire bus ride back to Brisbane.
Back in Brisbane, I decided to stop in for a cheap dinner at a hostel with an attached bar/restaurant. I had planned to then head back to my hostel to change into something warmer (the nights in Brisbane were fairly cool) but got talking to my two neighbors, lawyers who had stopped in for the cheap meals. Both lived in Brisbane, although one was originally from South Africa. We had a great time chatting about places we'd been and the Aussie kept me entertained with his detailed account of a few weeks spent in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. (Not exactly the benchmark for life in America!) I was about to head out when the bar announced the start of the trivia competition, and the three of us decided to enter under the team name "Rock the Casbaw" (Casbaw being a combination of our initials). Wow, were we bad. I knew that Chinese brides wear red, but other than that I was pretty useless. Did you know brontophobia is the fear of thunder? We didn't leave until after 1am (and I had gotten there at 7) and one of the guys dropped me off at my hostel in a taxi on his way home. Luckily my bus wasn't until noon the next day! I felt worse for the guys who had to be in court the next day (or maybe I should have felt worse for the guys they were defending). A three hour bus ride to Byron Bay and into a completely different world!
Brisbane Briefly
I arrived Brisbane (aka BrisVegas to many) on a Sunday afternoon and decided to spend the night there. (I had originally planned to go south to Byron Bay and spend time in Brisbane on the way back north again.) Since it was a late decision, I didn't book my hostel until I was on the train from the airport. I knew I wasn't going to be there more than a few days so purposely chose one that was close to the transit center. After getting obtuse directions from the hostel and clearer directions from my guidebook, I headed off with my ever increasing luggage. (How is this? I've bought a hat, a t-shirt and a pair of sunglasses over the course of 7 weeks and tossed out a lot of items, yet only gets harder to close my bag...) I walked and walked and walked and dragged my bag up some stairs and walked by an outdoor bar that was loud and packed and having fun and walked some more. Giving up, I called the hostel for directions from my current location. (Having a local cell phone has been SOOO fantastic on this trip. How did we get by 10 years ago?) Following the hostel's directions, I headed back in the direction I had come but still couldn't find it. A woman offered help, but didn't know the hostel nor the street. She did know one of the landmarks that was supposedly near it, and pointed me in that direction. After another 10 minutes of walking, I ended up back at the transit center. Aurghgh! I had purposely planned to stay in a hostel that required little walking and now was completely defeating that purpose. I turned around again and eventually found the hostel. Why had it taken me so long to find? The hostel had told me to go down the main street and turn left on Cricket Street. Unfortunately, there is no sign for Cricket Street. You just have to know that it's one street after Jessie Street, apparently. So that pretty much took up my first afternoon in Brisbane. I suppose I can't complain too much since that's the first time I've had anything of that frustration level happen to me in 7 weeks, which is a pretty good ratio.
Speaking of frustration (or lack of it), I've found this trip to be a real lesson in how or body changes when we're not stressed out all the time. I sleep better, think better and look better. I think I've put on make-up three times in 7 weeks. Sometimes because it just seems to much trouble to find my make-up bag, but mostly because I just look better when I'm not sitting in a cubicle staring at a computer chewing my fingernails off. Imagine that!
The first night in Brisbane I had dinner at the Kookaburra Cafe and have not been able to get that darn children's song out of my head since. I didn't even know I stillknew the words! "Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he, laugh kookaburra laugh kookaburra, gay your life must be." Try having that stuck in your head for days at a time and not feeling ridiculous.
I only spent one full day in Brisbane, but it was quite interesting (and a lesson in extremes!). More in the next post...
Speaking of frustration (or lack of it), I've found this trip to be a real lesson in how or body changes when we're not stressed out all the time. I sleep better, think better and look better. I think I've put on make-up three times in 7 weeks. Sometimes because it just seems to much trouble to find my make-up bag, but mostly because I just look better when I'm not sitting in a cubicle staring at a computer chewing my fingernails off. Imagine that!
The first night in Brisbane I had dinner at the Kookaburra Cafe and have not been able to get that darn children's song out of my head since. I didn't even know I stillknew the words! "Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he, laugh kookaburra laugh kookaburra, gay your life must be." Try having that stuck in your head for days at a time and not feeling ridiculous.
I only spent one full day in Brisbane, but it was quite interesting (and a lesson in extremes!). More in the next post...
Swag Photo
A photo to show what our swags in the outback looked like... this one is of Joe, after his recovery from Dengue Fever. We didn't actually sleep with our faces covered, I believe he's trying to block in the flash from the camera. Or the moon. At one point he did ask someone to turn out the light, not realizing it was the almost-full moon above him. (Yea, I finally figured out how to post photos within each post!)
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Back from the Outback #2
As I mentioned before, I wasn't convinced that the Outback and Uluru (Ayer's Rock) would be anything I needed to see (it's just a big rock in the middle of nowhere), but it was a freebie to add to my plane ticket, so why not? I was glad I went, if only because it's just so different to the East Coast of the country. Our guide was the requisite tough Australian replete with broad accent, "colorful" language, lack of high school degree and mullet. A great guy, though, and taught us a lot about the geology of the area. Which did make me feel a bit abashed, as I had naturally not expected him to be a font of knowledge. That'll teach me to keep my prejudices in check. One of the fascinating things is that there is TONS of water in Alice Springs (and the rest of the Outback). It's one of the only places in the country that never has water restrictions. That's because there is a huge aquifer under the "semi-arid zone" (don't call it a desert! - they technically get an extra centimeter of rain a year above the desert classification). Apparently even rain in the coastal areas doesn't help out those areas as much as it could, as once it soaks in it ends up back in the aquifer under the Outback. Strange how nature works.
We spent the first two of the three days hiking in different canyons that were vastly different from each other. The second day was the Olgas (or Kata Jutu - I believe is how it's spelled - as the Aboriginals would call it). I was far more impressed by that than Uluru and was especially glad I didn't just go to Uluru. The first day we slept in the middle of the bush in our "swag", basically a canvas sleeping bag with a foam mat. As our guide told us, it's not 5 star accommodation, it's 5 billion star accommodation, as you don't sleep inside the tent. Unfortunately, our group ended up in small clusters talking, instead of as a group, because it was too warm to be in a circle around the fire. The second night we camped under the stars again but in a campground that had a lit area with a picnic table where we all chatted late into the evening (and then got up at 5am to go see sunrise over Uluru)! One of the English guys on our trip had contracted Dengue Fever in Asia the week before (he described it as a curable malaria) and spent the first 2 days immersed in a book. On the last night he finished the book and really came out of his shell. He had us in complete hysterics on the last night with jokes that "require animation" and a really bad French accent. I must have only slept a few hours that night, since every time I was about to fall asleep he would say something again and all of us in the surrounding area would get the fit of giggles. And you know how contagious those are.
Back in Alice Springs we washed off the Outback tan (not as long lasting as the real one, but much safer) and met up later that night for a few drinks at Bojangles, a bar in town that has cameras and a direct feed onto the web at all hours. Your friends can find you online, you can wave to them and they can even buy you drinks from afar. Unfortunately, due to the time difference it was about 5am on Saturday morning in Chicago when I was there. During my brief stint at the hostel beforehand I met some of my new roommates - an Australian who was on his way back to Sydney after 4 years in London, an Irish guy and an American. Wouldn't you know the guy was from New Prague, Minnesota! I've met about 5 Americans over the past 6 weeks - and one of them was from MN! I also managed to freak the Irish guy out when I asked if he was from Galway. He asked "How the heck did you know that????" and told him I had recognized the Galway football jersey he'd been wearing downstairs when we were checking in. Then he wanted to know how I knew what a Galway jersey looked like... (esp. since Galway is only written in very small letters and in Gaelic.) It's fun to do that sometimes - play with peoples' stereotypes of Americans. I get to snoop on a lot of Germans' conversations - there are a lot of them here and they automatically assume I couldn't possibly understand them. I usually just join the conversation about 30 minutes in and watch their faces. I can even see them playing back the previous half an hour in their minds to see if they've said anything untoward. Luckily for them, they rarely have.
Whew, this entry has gotten long. Sorry for that. The departure to Brisbane was uneventful, so I'll start up in Brisbane in my next entry!
We spent the first two of the three days hiking in different canyons that were vastly different from each other. The second day was the Olgas (or Kata Jutu - I believe is how it's spelled - as the Aboriginals would call it). I was far more impressed by that than Uluru and was especially glad I didn't just go to Uluru. The first day we slept in the middle of the bush in our "swag", basically a canvas sleeping bag with a foam mat. As our guide told us, it's not 5 star accommodation, it's 5 billion star accommodation, as you don't sleep inside the tent. Unfortunately, our group ended up in small clusters talking, instead of as a group, because it was too warm to be in a circle around the fire. The second night we camped under the stars again but in a campground that had a lit area with a picnic table where we all chatted late into the evening (and then got up at 5am to go see sunrise over Uluru)! One of the English guys on our trip had contracted Dengue Fever in Asia the week before (he described it as a curable malaria) and spent the first 2 days immersed in a book. On the last night he finished the book and really came out of his shell. He had us in complete hysterics on the last night with jokes that "require animation" and a really bad French accent. I must have only slept a few hours that night, since every time I was about to fall asleep he would say something again and all of us in the surrounding area would get the fit of giggles. And you know how contagious those are.
Back in Alice Springs we washed off the Outback tan (not as long lasting as the real one, but much safer) and met up later that night for a few drinks at Bojangles, a bar in town that has cameras and a direct feed onto the web at all hours. Your friends can find you online, you can wave to them and they can even buy you drinks from afar. Unfortunately, due to the time difference it was about 5am on Saturday morning in Chicago when I was there. During my brief stint at the hostel beforehand I met some of my new roommates - an Australian who was on his way back to Sydney after 4 years in London, an Irish guy and an American. Wouldn't you know the guy was from New Prague, Minnesota! I've met about 5 Americans over the past 6 weeks - and one of them was from MN! I also managed to freak the Irish guy out when I asked if he was from Galway. He asked "How the heck did you know that????" and told him I had recognized the Galway football jersey he'd been wearing downstairs when we were checking in. Then he wanted to know how I knew what a Galway jersey looked like... (esp. since Galway is only written in very small letters and in Gaelic.) It's fun to do that sometimes - play with peoples' stereotypes of Americans. I get to snoop on a lot of Germans' conversations - there are a lot of them here and they automatically assume I couldn't possibly understand them. I usually just join the conversation about 30 minutes in and watch their faces. I can even see them playing back the previous half an hour in their minds to see if they've said anything untoward. Luckily for them, they rarely have.
Whew, this entry has gotten long. Sorry for that. The departure to Brisbane was uneventful, so I'll start up in Brisbane in my next entry!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Back from the Outback
I seem to be working my way through the seasons on this trip, although in no particular order. After a gorgeous, sunny day (80 degrees or so) on the Great Ocean Road, it was back to cool and cloudy. The Road itself is amazing, perhaps the most striking part is the turquoise water against the green hills. Most places have one or the other, not both. It does clash a bit though... :)
My last day in Melbourne was spent at the library to see a free exhibition of an Australian photographer's celebrity photos. I was especially interested since the majority of the photos were of musicians and the write ups on each one were just as good as the photos. After an amazing noon breakfast (hashbrowns of feta, sweet potatoes and basil somehow works) in the suburb of St. Kilda I headed back to town for window shopping (no room in my bag or my budget for the real thing!) before getting the grand driving tour of the city from Gavin. Oh, by suburb I don't mean the type we think of - Australians use the term how we would use neighborhood. What we call a suburb they would call a town. All very confusing.
I got up at the crack of dawn to catch my flight and once again was thrilled to have the benefits of the Qantas Club. I slept until the last minute, then showered and had my free breakfast at the airport. I have determined that the use of these "business clubs" is completely lost on those traveling for business. When I traveled for work, I would rarely have time to spend in these clubs, as we were usually working right up until it was time to head to the airport. I had no use for free showers, as my hotels were quite nice, and free meals and internet were irrelevant too as I had an expense account for that. Funny how that works - being able to go to these clubs has saved me so much money!
The flight to Alice Springs was quite interesting. I was the youngest person on my flight by at least 25 years, except for the 4 tour guides, which was quite a change from the hostel I had just left behind. One of the guides sat next to me and told me about his job taking groups of people around Australia. Very similar to the job I used to do about 10 years ago. I told him I had left it because of the low pay but that I had really enjoyed it at the time. He remarked that actually you can do quite well at some of these tour companies, as they prefer their guides a bit older and recognize that it's difficult for those over 30 to be out of town for extended periods of time. Interesting that you can pay a 24 year old nothing to do this job, as their just thrilled to be sent overseas, but you have to pay a 34 year old quite well as an incentive. So I'm doing a bit of research into some companies that he recommended and may see if that's something I could do when I get home. (He works for an Australian company, so isn't of much use to me there!)
I was looking forward to the hot weather of Alice Springs (and I certainly got it - over 100 degrees most of the time) and had planned to spend my first afternoon just doing laundry and sitting by the pool. It sounded great in theory, but the pool lounging got old after about 30 minutes and my laundry dried in seconds (literally) so I headed out on a 4-wheeler tour of the local cattle station. So much fun! We flew over old creek beds and I realized how much tamer it would have been if it had been in the US - the old liability issue. We also learned how the cattle station works. It's amazing how technology has changed it. Now they muster the cattle with helicopters and 4 wheelers instead of horses. Still, it's not exactly the life for me! Storms can sometimes cut off cattle stations from the rest of the world for months and doctors have to be flown in via helicopter.
As for the Outback, it was a really enjoyable trip and I'm glad I took the time to see that part of the country. I had asked for opinions from others who had been to Australia, and it seemed to be divided as to whether it was worth it. Part of the enjoyment, of course, came with being around a group of fun people. We had 19 people of about a dozen different nationalities crammed into a mini bus for 3 days - now that's how to bond! Included in our menagerie were:
My last day in Melbourne was spent at the library to see a free exhibition of an Australian photographer's celebrity photos. I was especially interested since the majority of the photos were of musicians and the write ups on each one were just as good as the photos. After an amazing noon breakfast (hashbrowns of feta, sweet potatoes and basil somehow works) in the suburb of St. Kilda I headed back to town for window shopping (no room in my bag or my budget for the real thing!) before getting the grand driving tour of the city from Gavin. Oh, by suburb I don't mean the type we think of - Australians use the term how we would use neighborhood. What we call a suburb they would call a town. All very confusing.
I got up at the crack of dawn to catch my flight and once again was thrilled to have the benefits of the Qantas Club. I slept until the last minute, then showered and had my free breakfast at the airport. I have determined that the use of these "business clubs" is completely lost on those traveling for business. When I traveled for work, I would rarely have time to spend in these clubs, as we were usually working right up until it was time to head to the airport. I had no use for free showers, as my hotels were quite nice, and free meals and internet were irrelevant too as I had an expense account for that. Funny how that works - being able to go to these clubs has saved me so much money!
The flight to Alice Springs was quite interesting. I was the youngest person on my flight by at least 25 years, except for the 4 tour guides, which was quite a change from the hostel I had just left behind. One of the guides sat next to me and told me about his job taking groups of people around Australia. Very similar to the job I used to do about 10 years ago. I told him I had left it because of the low pay but that I had really enjoyed it at the time. He remarked that actually you can do quite well at some of these tour companies, as they prefer their guides a bit older and recognize that it's difficult for those over 30 to be out of town for extended periods of time. Interesting that you can pay a 24 year old nothing to do this job, as their just thrilled to be sent overseas, but you have to pay a 34 year old quite well as an incentive. So I'm doing a bit of research into some companies that he recommended and may see if that's something I could do when I get home. (He works for an Australian company, so isn't of much use to me there!)
I was looking forward to the hot weather of Alice Springs (and I certainly got it - over 100 degrees most of the time) and had planned to spend my first afternoon just doing laundry and sitting by the pool. It sounded great in theory, but the pool lounging got old after about 30 minutes and my laundry dried in seconds (literally) so I headed out on a 4-wheeler tour of the local cattle station. So much fun! We flew over old creek beds and I realized how much tamer it would have been if it had been in the US - the old liability issue. We also learned how the cattle station works. It's amazing how technology has changed it. Now they muster the cattle with helicopters and 4 wheelers instead of horses. Still, it's not exactly the life for me! Storms can sometimes cut off cattle stations from the rest of the world for months and doctors have to be flown in via helicopter.
As for the Outback, it was a really enjoyable trip and I'm glad I took the time to see that part of the country. I had asked for opinions from others who had been to Australia, and it seemed to be divided as to whether it was worth it. Part of the enjoyment, of course, came with being around a group of fun people. We had 19 people of about a dozen different nationalities crammed into a mini bus for 3 days - now that's how to bond! Included in our menagerie were:
- Hungary
- Holland
- England
- Wales
- Ireland
- Hong Kong
- Taiwan
- France
- Germany
- Austria
- US (that would be me)
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Yay sun!
The sun is back in Melbourne! It makes life so much more enjoyable. I went out Friday night with Gavin, who I had met in Queenstown, and some of his friends. It was so nice to be out with locals! We had a great Vietnamese meal and hit a few bars in various neighborhoods. Saturday afternoon I had lunch with Greg, a Kiwi, and his Irish wife Tricia who moved to Melbourne a few years ago. I hadn't seen either of them since we finished grad school and it was great to catch up (and see their two little ones!). I spent the morning today at the Queen Victoria market. I splurged on a $9 hat, a $3 pair of sunglasses and an amalgamation of yummy things for my lunch. I'm going to head to the botanical gardens now and have an impromptu picnic of apples, bread, goat's cheese and random Aussie snack foods whose flavor will be a complete surprise to me. Again, the weather makes all these things possible!
For some reason as I was walking down the street today I remembered the pub tour I took in Sydney and I think I forgot to mention it. If you ever get to Sydney, it's well worth it to do The Rocks Pub Tour. You learn all about the Rocks area, the oldest in Sydney, the old pubs and the local beers. It was also memorable for a few funny things that happened along the way. I had signed up via phone and had to pick up my ticket in person. They couldn't find my reservation, but I luckily had my reservation number with me. As it turns out, the reason they couldn't find me in the system is my name was spelled "Fcretmater". When I arrived at the pub tour, our guide had our list of names and immediately asked me how to pronounce my name - I don't have any idea how you would even begin to pronounce that! (It even tops "Fpretmater" that I got once in Chicago. Why do all the letters in our name have to sound like other letters in the alphabet over the phone?) Then two other Americans on the tour were telling us about their experience of asking for a box for their leftovers in a restaurant. Apparently the waitress was very taken aback and took a long time back in the kitchen. They saw her talking to all the other employees, who then took turns laughing and pointing at them. Finally she came back with their leftovers in a Tupperware container. In their words, "I think they just washed out a container someone had brought their lunch in!" Good to know for future reference. So far I've taken a few leftovers home, but usually by secreting them in a napkin in my bag, feeling about 80 years old as I do it. But now I think I'm glad I went to more subtle route.
Tomorrow morning I leave at 6:50am (ARGH!) for a day on the Great Ocean Road. The weather is supposed to be even nicer tomorrow, so I'm really looking forward to that. Hopefully I'll have lots of new pictures to post then! Off to enjoy the sun...
For some reason as I was walking down the street today I remembered the pub tour I took in Sydney and I think I forgot to mention it. If you ever get to Sydney, it's well worth it to do The Rocks Pub Tour. You learn all about the Rocks area, the oldest in Sydney, the old pubs and the local beers. It was also memorable for a few funny things that happened along the way. I had signed up via phone and had to pick up my ticket in person. They couldn't find my reservation, but I luckily had my reservation number with me. As it turns out, the reason they couldn't find me in the system is my name was spelled "Fcretmater". When I arrived at the pub tour, our guide had our list of names and immediately asked me how to pronounce my name - I don't have any idea how you would even begin to pronounce that! (It even tops "Fpretmater" that I got once in Chicago. Why do all the letters in our name have to sound like other letters in the alphabet over the phone?) Then two other Americans on the tour were telling us about their experience of asking for a box for their leftovers in a restaurant. Apparently the waitress was very taken aback and took a long time back in the kitchen. They saw her talking to all the other employees, who then took turns laughing and pointing at them. Finally she came back with their leftovers in a Tupperware container. In their words, "I think they just washed out a container someone had brought their lunch in!" Good to know for future reference. So far I've taken a few leftovers home, but usually by secreting them in a napkin in my bag, feeling about 80 years old as I do it. But now I think I'm glad I went to more subtle route.
Tomorrow morning I leave at 6:50am (ARGH!) for a day on the Great Ocean Road. The weather is supposed to be even nicer tomorrow, so I'm really looking forward to that. Hopefully I'll have lots of new pictures to post then! Off to enjoy the sun...
Friday, October 12, 2007
The geeky side of Melbourne
I left incredibly sunny and warm Sydney yesterday for cold and rainy Melbourne. Hm, didn't plan that quite right! It hadn't been that nice in Sydney in days. It's supposed to improve here soon - I'm crossing my fingers. The rain has finally abated but it is still quite chilly. So all of you back in Minnesota and Chicago don't have to feel jealous, I suppose.
Once the rain subsided, I spent the day wandering Melbourne to get the lay of the land and at the Old Melbourne Gaol, famous for being the place of execution of Ned Kelly. A good attraction for a gray day. Now I am sitting in the craziest internet cafe I've ever been in. It clearly caters to the "gaming" crowd. There are at least a few dozen young men (although I use that term lightly) staring at their computer screens and shooting everything in sight. And many of them are playing each other, causing taunts and shouts from computer to computer. Between that and the speed metal music in the background, it is by far the noisiest internet cafe I've ever been to. It's also for the long-term player - since it's 5:45pm here, m0st of the guys have KFC or Hungry Jack's (Burger King in Australia) at their computers. If they don't, they can click a button and have something to eat delivered to their computer console. To top off the whole experience, the flourescent light above me is flickering on and off. I may go into overstimulation seizures soon. Oh, and it took me forever to get my blog to be in English, not French. And this location does not offer SD card access, so once again my pictures will remain very out of date for at least another day or so.
The big news in Australia now is that the Australian Dollar is currently at the highest it's ever been against the US Dollar since the beginning of the currency. Great. Apparently the Canadian dollar is now worth more than the US Dollar! And every person I talk to wants to know when we're "going to get rid of Bush," as soon as they find out I'm American. At least it's a talking point...The trip here from Sydney was once again a lesson in the joining of two worlds. I took the train to the airport, and then spent the rest of the time at the Qantas lounge where I helped myself to the free buffet and free wireless access for my Palm. But the backpacker in me was still there... I stocked up on apples, pears and tea bags from the buffet for future use! Then jumped on the super cheap shuttle in Melbourne to my hostel, where I share the room with at least 4 other people. But it's great for meeting people, as all the others in my dorm are solo female travelers too of all different nationalities.
Tonight I meet up with a friend I met in Queenstown and tomorrow go out to see another friend I met in Ireland who is now living here. It's nice to be somewhere where I know a few people! Definitely a change of pace. Off now to the hostel for its Friday night "free wine and snacks hour"!!! Can't miss that. I'm a backpacker, after all.
Once the rain subsided, I spent the day wandering Melbourne to get the lay of the land and at the Old Melbourne Gaol, famous for being the place of execution of Ned Kelly. A good attraction for a gray day. Now I am sitting in the craziest internet cafe I've ever been in. It clearly caters to the "gaming" crowd. There are at least a few dozen young men (although I use that term lightly) staring at their computer screens and shooting everything in sight. And many of them are playing each other, causing taunts and shouts from computer to computer. Between that and the speed metal music in the background, it is by far the noisiest internet cafe I've ever been to. It's also for the long-term player - since it's 5:45pm here, m0st of the guys have KFC or Hungry Jack's (Burger King in Australia) at their computers. If they don't, they can click a button and have something to eat delivered to their computer console. To top off the whole experience, the flourescent light above me is flickering on and off. I may go into overstimulation seizures soon. Oh, and it took me forever to get my blog to be in English, not French. And this location does not offer SD card access, so once again my pictures will remain very out of date for at least another day or so.
The big news in Australia now is that the Australian Dollar is currently at the highest it's ever been against the US Dollar since the beginning of the currency. Great. Apparently the Canadian dollar is now worth more than the US Dollar! And every person I talk to wants to know when we're "going to get rid of Bush," as soon as they find out I'm American. At least it's a talking point...The trip here from Sydney was once again a lesson in the joining of two worlds. I took the train to the airport, and then spent the rest of the time at the Qantas lounge where I helped myself to the free buffet and free wireless access for my Palm. But the backpacker in me was still there... I stocked up on apples, pears and tea bags from the buffet for future use! Then jumped on the super cheap shuttle in Melbourne to my hostel, where I share the room with at least 4 other people. But it's great for meeting people, as all the others in my dorm are solo female travelers too of all different nationalities.
Tonight I meet up with a friend I met in Queenstown and tomorrow go out to see another friend I met in Ireland who is now living here. It's nice to be somewhere where I know a few people! Definitely a change of pace. Off now to the hostel for its Friday night "free wine and snacks hour"!!! Can't miss that. I'm a backpacker, after all.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Sunny Sydney
Wow, a whole week since my last post. (And sorry my pictures on this page are so out of date). I haven't blogged about Sydney because there hasn't been anything scintillating to report. Not that that has stopped me in the past, but I digress. Sydney was the site of my 2nd home exchange, so I've been staying on my own (it's amazing that everything I have with me will fit in a large backpack but can manage to be spread around a 2 bedroom apartment) and wandering the city, seeing the sites. The typical - Darling Harbour, the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, ferries to neighborhoods, a quick visit to Bondi Beach and one day spent sunning myself on Coogee Beach. The first day I was here was hot, so I was glad I hit Coogee then. After that it's been sunny but cooler, around upper 60s.
Getting here was an odd mix of luxury and discomfort. I left Wellington in nasty, nasty weather. The wind and rain were blowing so hard the airport could only use the gates on the south side of the airport, where they were sheltered. So that delayed everything. Didn't really matter to me, though, since I was flying to Auckland where I would be spending 8 hours overnight before my flight to Sydney. I spent the hours of 11pm to 4am reading on a padded bench, before checking in at the business class desk. Then I headed through security to the Qantas lounge where I had a full continental breakfast, read some magazines and made a few free phone calls. Then I had 2 seats to myself in business class with a hot breakfast frittata (really, really yummy, actually) and my own personal DVD player with choice of movies. It's so weird being half broke backpacker and half luxury traveler! Tomorrow I fly to Melbourne for a week. I'm looking forward to the live music scene there and I'm actually looking forward to staying at a hostel! I appreciate the space I get from staying here, but I can't wait to meet people!!!! The hostel also sounds interesting - it's called The Nunnery and is a refurbished convent. Also, I know a few people in Melbourne, so that will be a nice change of pace.
I imagine being around people more often will provide more interesting fodder for this blog, too. And I'm going to try to get more recent pictures online while I'm there.
Getting here was an odd mix of luxury and discomfort. I left Wellington in nasty, nasty weather. The wind and rain were blowing so hard the airport could only use the gates on the south side of the airport, where they were sheltered. So that delayed everything. Didn't really matter to me, though, since I was flying to Auckland where I would be spending 8 hours overnight before my flight to Sydney. I spent the hours of 11pm to 4am reading on a padded bench, before checking in at the business class desk. Then I headed through security to the Qantas lounge where I had a full continental breakfast, read some magazines and made a few free phone calls. Then I had 2 seats to myself in business class with a hot breakfast frittata (really, really yummy, actually) and my own personal DVD player with choice of movies. It's so weird being half broke backpacker and half luxury traveler! Tomorrow I fly to Melbourne for a week. I'm looking forward to the live music scene there and I'm actually looking forward to staying at a hostel! I appreciate the space I get from staying here, but I can't wait to meet people!!!! The hostel also sounds interesting - it's called The Nunnery and is a refurbished convent. Also, I know a few people in Melbourne, so that will be a nice change of pace.
I imagine being around people more often will provide more interesting fodder for this blog, too. And I'm going to try to get more recent pictures online while I'm there.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
New Zealand in a nutshell
I'll only be in NZ for another 36 hours and almost half of that will be in airports/on planes. I'm so glad I came here and I've enjoyed the flexibility that comes with traveling in the off-season (booking hostels and buses at the last minute) and on my own, but I definitely feel I didn't see the "real" New Zealand. Because I was on my own, it didn't make sense to rent a car the way so many people do when they visit here. That means I didn't get to a lot of the national parks where the amazing hiking is. Even if I could get there, it's not something you want to do on your own - you need someone else there in case you twist an ankle, whatever. So I did more of the city/town tour of NZ, which was fun and fascinating in its own right, and was able to take advantage of some of the adventure activities, but so many of them only operate (or are only really fun) during the peak season. If I come back (and I hope I do) I'll come during peak season with a friend so I can go swimming with dolphins, whale watching, hiking, etc.
One thing that has been really interesting is getting to know the history of such a young country. I'm so used to traveling in Europe where everything there seems to be older than the US itself. We are always pooh-poohed as being so young. But we're ancient compared to this place. And it has such a small population, relative to most places I've lived and visited. Only 4 million people in the entire country. Half the size of the Chicago greater metro area.
Australia and NZ seem to have an odd relationship with the US. We were formed similarly, between those banished from their home countries, immigrants looking for more opportunity and pilgrims looking for religious freedom. The US is in pop culture everywhere here - I ate at Burger Wisconsin (which offers exotic flavors, depite its name), there's a clothing store here in Wellington called Paris Texas, and I passed a surf shop called Colorado (someone should really tell them you can't surf in Colorado). But then I saw an Australian movie last night where one of the characters describes how he fell in love with his girlfriend from the US. "She was so outspoken, so outgoing. You know how Americans are." "Oh, you mean obnoxious" was the response. Ouch. Then later after said girlfriend has been broken up with and she's heading back to America, they show her at the airport shunning an Australian man who tries to flirt with her, saying something to the effect of "I'm an independent American woman, not a piece of meat". When she drops here bag, she says "I'm an independent American woman, no one help me!". And finally, she chases back after the man she has shunned saying, "Wait, maybe we can sit together!" We're not really like that are we?
One final note. Apparently, Auckland was the capital of NZ early in its history, but it was moved to Wellington over 100 years ago in order to be more in the center of the country. Interesting concept. If we did that, would that make Chicago the capital??? :)
One thing that has been really interesting is getting to know the history of such a young country. I'm so used to traveling in Europe where everything there seems to be older than the US itself. We are always pooh-poohed as being so young. But we're ancient compared to this place. And it has such a small population, relative to most places I've lived and visited. Only 4 million people in the entire country. Half the size of the Chicago greater metro area.
Australia and NZ seem to have an odd relationship with the US. We were formed similarly, between those banished from their home countries, immigrants looking for more opportunity and pilgrims looking for religious freedom. The US is in pop culture everywhere here - I ate at Burger Wisconsin (which offers exotic flavors, depite its name), there's a clothing store here in Wellington called Paris Texas, and I passed a surf shop called Colorado (someone should really tell them you can't surf in Colorado). But then I saw an Australian movie last night where one of the characters describes how he fell in love with his girlfriend from the US. "She was so outspoken, so outgoing. You know how Americans are." "Oh, you mean obnoxious" was the response. Ouch. Then later after said girlfriend has been broken up with and she's heading back to America, they show her at the airport shunning an Australian man who tries to flirt with her, saying something to the effect of "I'm an independent American woman, not a piece of meat". When she drops here bag, she says "I'm an independent American woman, no one help me!". And finally, she chases back after the man she has shunned saying, "Wait, maybe we can sit together!" We're not really like that are we?
One final note. Apparently, Auckland was the capital of NZ early in its history, but it was moved to Wellington over 100 years ago in order to be more in the center of the country. Interesting concept. If we did that, would that make Chicago the capital??? :)
Finally well in Wellington
From one Windy City to another! Whereas there are doubts as to how Chicago got it's nickname, there can be none in reference to Wellington. My first day here I had to hold onto the signposts at intersections to avoid being blown into oncoming traffic while waiting for the "green walking man". And that's no exaggeration. The first night I could barely sleep as the shutters slammed against the walls. And it's also a city that epitomizes the NZ reputation of displaying all four seasons in one day (as those Crowded House fans - who hail from NZ - may recognize from their song by that name). Today it was sunny and warm for a while, then chilly and windy, then downright freezing and practically sleeting, then back to sunny and warm.
The bus and ferry ride from Christchurch was fairly uneventful and momentarily entertaining. One the bus ride I was accompanied by two boys around 11 years old who sat behind me. They had apparently just been introduced and were traveling together. I caught snippets of "uh-huh; nuh-uh; uh-huh", "what's your last name; that's for me to know and you to find out", "do you have a girlfriend; of course, she's american so she talks funny", "have you seen the movie the hills have eyes?; no; how about the hills have eyes II?; no; how about the hills have eyes III? etc" and my personal favorite, "you're gay; no you're gay; well your mom is gay; well your dad is gay; well your whole family is gay." Glad to see little boys are the same everywhere. One of them tapped me on the shoulder to ask what time we were supposed to arrive. When I answered, he said, "Hey you're American, aren't you?" When I confirmed his suspicions, he said knowingly, "I know. I can tell." This must have been the one with the American girlfriend.
The tough part about planning the last stop on the trip, is you never know how much time to leave for it. As it turns out, four days is WAY too long in Wellington, at least for me and during this time of the year. The good news is it's cheap for tourists! Since it's the capital, it has many free places of interest, just as in places like Washington DC. I've spent two days at the free New Zealand museum (amazing) and went on a tour of the Parliament buildings, all of which were free. NZ just celebrated 100 years a few days ago of becoming a dominion. That means 100 years ago they officially ceased to be a colony of the UK. The reason they are called a dominion is they still acknowledge the British monarchy as their monarchy, but that is the only remaining connection. Their system of government is fascinating, especially for the fact that it is continuously changing and hopefully improving. NZ was also the first country to grant the right to vote, in the late 1800s. About ten years ago the parliament buildings were overhauled to withstand earthquakes, which was incredible. Basically the buildings now sit on massive springs with another foundation underneath, so the building will just gently move side to side in an earthquake, rather than up and down. One item in the parliamentary buildings did get me choked up for a minute - on the wall is a battered NZ flag which was found amongst the rubble of the World Trade Center after 9/11.
If the weather holds up tomorrow, I'll hit the zoo and maybe do a tour of the city. Then Thursday I head back to Auckland to catch my early Friday morning flight to Sydney!
Oh, and the title of my post refers to the ever increasing sore throat I started to get in Dunedin which finally led to full on laryngitis (sp???) by Christchurch. When it continued to get worse in Wellington, I relented and visited a doctor here for a throat culture. Unfortunately, the doctor told me it takes at least a week to get the results back! Craziness!!! So he told me he would prescribe an antibiotic in case that's what it was and it would "either get better because of the antibiotics or because it was going to get better on its own and either way I get the credit!" I was a little annoyed that I paid $100 to be told they couldn't do any tests, but since my sore throat completely disappeared after only 2 doses of the antibiotic, I'm pretty sure it was strep (or something similar). At least pharmaceuticals are cheap here, to offset the doctor bill. A week's worth of Amoxicillin (sp? again), 3x day cost about US$6. I'm so happy to be landing in Sydney back to 100%.
One final comment - my hostel room is on the 5th floor with a great view of the harbor...and the Wellington office of BBDO. Which is especially funny since my hostel in Auckland was a block from the BBDO office there... You try to forget about work on vacation, but then it rears its head again!
The bus and ferry ride from Christchurch was fairly uneventful and momentarily entertaining. One the bus ride I was accompanied by two boys around 11 years old who sat behind me. They had apparently just been introduced and were traveling together. I caught snippets of "uh-huh; nuh-uh; uh-huh", "what's your last name; that's for me to know and you to find out", "do you have a girlfriend; of course, she's american so she talks funny", "have you seen the movie the hills have eyes?; no; how about the hills have eyes II?; no; how about the hills have eyes III? etc" and my personal favorite, "you're gay; no you're gay; well your mom is gay; well your dad is gay; well your whole family is gay." Glad to see little boys are the same everywhere. One of them tapped me on the shoulder to ask what time we were supposed to arrive. When I answered, he said, "Hey you're American, aren't you?" When I confirmed his suspicions, he said knowingly, "I know. I can tell." This must have been the one with the American girlfriend.
The tough part about planning the last stop on the trip, is you never know how much time to leave for it. As it turns out, four days is WAY too long in Wellington, at least for me and during this time of the year. The good news is it's cheap for tourists! Since it's the capital, it has many free places of interest, just as in places like Washington DC. I've spent two days at the free New Zealand museum (amazing) and went on a tour of the Parliament buildings, all of which were free. NZ just celebrated 100 years a few days ago of becoming a dominion. That means 100 years ago they officially ceased to be a colony of the UK. The reason they are called a dominion is they still acknowledge the British monarchy as their monarchy, but that is the only remaining connection. Their system of government is fascinating, especially for the fact that it is continuously changing and hopefully improving. NZ was also the first country to grant the right to vote, in the late 1800s. About ten years ago the parliament buildings were overhauled to withstand earthquakes, which was incredible. Basically the buildings now sit on massive springs with another foundation underneath, so the building will just gently move side to side in an earthquake, rather than up and down. One item in the parliamentary buildings did get me choked up for a minute - on the wall is a battered NZ flag which was found amongst the rubble of the World Trade Center after 9/11.
If the weather holds up tomorrow, I'll hit the zoo and maybe do a tour of the city. Then Thursday I head back to Auckland to catch my early Friday morning flight to Sydney!
Oh, and the title of my post refers to the ever increasing sore throat I started to get in Dunedin which finally led to full on laryngitis (sp???) by Christchurch. When it continued to get worse in Wellington, I relented and visited a doctor here for a throat culture. Unfortunately, the doctor told me it takes at least a week to get the results back! Craziness!!! So he told me he would prescribe an antibiotic in case that's what it was and it would "either get better because of the antibiotics or because it was going to get better on its own and either way I get the credit!" I was a little annoyed that I paid $100 to be told they couldn't do any tests, but since my sore throat completely disappeared after only 2 doses of the antibiotic, I'm pretty sure it was strep (or something similar). At least pharmaceuticals are cheap here, to offset the doctor bill. A week's worth of Amoxicillin (sp? again), 3x day cost about US$6. I'm so happy to be landing in Sydney back to 100%.
One final comment - my hostel room is on the 5th floor with a great view of the harbor...and the Wellington office of BBDO. Which is especially funny since my hostel in Auckland was a block from the BBDO office there... You try to forget about work on vacation, but then it rears its head again!
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