Wednesday, May 3
Tuesday, September 21
btw
i have been moving, and hopefully adding pictures. links on the sidebar have been updated, so if you can't find pictures try starting there.
Monday, September 20
what really happened when we went tropical
jane reports:
The day you left Andy stayed in town but the rest of us had a nice drive to the Barossa Valley and got to do some wine tastings at a couple vineyards and had lunch, then returned back to the hotel to drop off the moms. The rest of us went back to town and scattered again somewhat, with the game plan for anyone interested to meet for dinner at The Ocre with your dad’s friends that live in town. This where we had a chance to eat some authentic Ausssie food – such as roo, emu, crocodile, wallaby, etc.
The next morning we headed on out to Melbourne on The Overland. This trip was a little bumpier than the last but basically the same. Andy, Vicki and I got the single rooms this time. We got a glass of regular Champagne instead of blue and had lunch and a lite dinner, which consisted of just a main entrée, so we later went to the mom’s room with glasses in hand to have our own dessert of some Port that we had gotten at one of the wineries the day before.
When we got to Melbourne it was raining and the train station was under major construction. So after getting drenched at the train station, we finally managed to get some taxis – thanks to John Jett and his standing on the street and whistling down some - and made it to the hotel.
The next day as your dad would put it we were on our own (since he doesn’t know much about the city). So in our normal manner we scattered to the winds and did our things, such as shopping, walking and museums. We all regrouped for a nice oriental dinner down the street.
The next morning was again the regular stint – gather in the lobby and get the taxis to return to the train station. We got all the luggage and moms together and then Vicki, your dad and I made our way thru the passages to get the train tickets for the last trip, which ended up about 45 minutes late arriving. Then off to Sydney
The day you left Andy stayed in town but the rest of us had a nice drive to the Barossa Valley and got to do some wine tastings at a couple vineyards and had lunch, then returned back to the hotel to drop off the moms. The rest of us went back to town and scattered again somewhat, with the game plan for anyone interested to meet for dinner at The Ocre with your dad’s friends that live in town. This where we had a chance to eat some authentic Ausssie food – such as roo, emu, crocodile, wallaby, etc.
The next morning we headed on out to Melbourne on The Overland. This trip was a little bumpier than the last but basically the same. Andy, Vicki and I got the single rooms this time. We got a glass of regular Champagne instead of blue and had lunch and a lite dinner, which consisted of just a main entrée, so we later went to the mom’s room with glasses in hand to have our own dessert of some Port that we had gotten at one of the wineries the day before.
When we got to Melbourne it was raining and the train station was under major construction. So after getting drenched at the train station, we finally managed to get some taxis – thanks to John Jett and his standing on the street and whistling down some - and made it to the hotel.
The next day as your dad would put it we were on our own (since he doesn’t know much about the city). So in our normal manner we scattered to the winds and did our things, such as shopping, walking and museums. We all regrouped for a nice oriental dinner down the street.
The next morning was again the regular stint – gather in the lobby and get the taxis to return to the train station. We got all the luggage and moms together and then Vicki, your dad and I made our way thru the passages to get the train tickets for the last trip, which ended up about 45 minutes late arriving. Then off to Sydney
Friday, September 10
done up like a pet lizard
so we're back. but pretend you don't know that and i'll tell you about cairns.
saturday we took one of those dive-and-snorkel boats out to the very edge of the reef, a spot called agincourt reefs. from our dive sites you could see the water breaking over the edge of the continental shelf, and the water change color. it was great. i was the only certified diver on the boat (besides the guides of course). so i basically had my own private guide and at all 3 sites we got in before all the beginners and snorkellers had scared everything away. besides the incredible array of coral and little fishies, i got to play with some sharks, saw giant clams big enough to eat me, and an eel so long you couldn't see the end of it...he was about 8" in diameter, all curled up in the reef. no lionfish or turtles tho...guess i'll just have to go back.
apparently the snorkelling was good too.
so, what do you have for dinner after a day like that? sushi, of course!
sunday we went up a (small) mountain to hang out in the rain forest. we took a train up there, which had some great views and a couple neat waterfalls. then we walked around this extremely tourist-ified village in the middle of the forest. after that was the rainforestation - basically a small zoo, then a ride on army ducks to see local vegetation - ferns, orchids, fig trees - and small wildlife, snapping turtles, etc. the zoo had a 5 meter long crocodile the called jack - as in jack the ripper. they tried to mate him 12 times before they decided he really does kill any female they put in the pen with him. then we went back down the mountain, but this time on their skyrail - a gondola over the tops of the trees. amazing views!
meanwhile....
our fearless leader was suppose to tell you what the rest of the group was up to in melbourne, but he was apparently too busy leading (and being fearless.)
monday was our triumphant return to sydney. well...maybe sluggish would be more accurate. we had a great time, but 2 fulls days outdoors pretty much wiped us out. the one day in sydney was a scatter-and-see-things day. the popular events seemed to be shopping, harbour boat tours, and the aquarium. i was excited most by the needlework shop, but then you already know i'm strange. (the harbour tour was pretty cool too.) and then we had an extremely fancy dinner, courtesy of mrs. dunn, with a spectacular view of the bridge and the opera house out the window next to our table. it was a nice way to wrap up the trip.
australian slang is funny. the two favorites so far have been 'done up like a pet lizard', which means overdressed, and 'technicolor yawn', which you get to figure out for yourself.
tuesday was the return journey. we left at 2 pm tuesday, and after a 14 hour flight arrived at 10 am tuesday. loooong day. but we all survived. not only the flight, but the whoe trip! and, more importantly, we all had fun :)
saturday we took one of those dive-and-snorkel boats out to the very edge of the reef, a spot called agincourt reefs. from our dive sites you could see the water breaking over the edge of the continental shelf, and the water change color. it was great. i was the only certified diver on the boat (besides the guides of course). so i basically had my own private guide and at all 3 sites we got in before all the beginners and snorkellers had scared everything away. besides the incredible array of coral and little fishies, i got to play with some sharks, saw giant clams big enough to eat me, and an eel so long you couldn't see the end of it...he was about 8" in diameter, all curled up in the reef. no lionfish or turtles tho...guess i'll just have to go back.
apparently the snorkelling was good too.
so, what do you have for dinner after a day like that? sushi, of course!
sunday we went up a (small) mountain to hang out in the rain forest. we took a train up there, which had some great views and a couple neat waterfalls. then we walked around this extremely tourist-ified village in the middle of the forest. after that was the rainforestation - basically a small zoo, then a ride on army ducks to see local vegetation - ferns, orchids, fig trees - and small wildlife, snapping turtles, etc. the zoo had a 5 meter long crocodile the called jack - as in jack the ripper. they tried to mate him 12 times before they decided he really does kill any female they put in the pen with him. then we went back down the mountain, but this time on their skyrail - a gondola over the tops of the trees. amazing views!
meanwhile....
our fearless leader was suppose to tell you what the rest of the group was up to in melbourne, but he was apparently too busy leading (and being fearless.)
monday was our triumphant return to sydney. well...maybe sluggish would be more accurate. we had a great time, but 2 fulls days outdoors pretty much wiped us out. the one day in sydney was a scatter-and-see-things day. the popular events seemed to be shopping, harbour boat tours, and the aquarium. i was excited most by the needlework shop, but then you already know i'm strange. (the harbour tour was pretty cool too.) and then we had an extremely fancy dinner, courtesy of mrs. dunn, with a spectacular view of the bridge and the opera house out the window next to our table. it was a nice way to wrap up the trip.
australian slang is funny. the two favorites so far have been 'done up like a pet lizard', which means overdressed, and 'technicolor yawn', which you get to figure out for yourself.
tuesday was the return journey. we left at 2 pm tuesday, and after a 14 hour flight arrived at 10 am tuesday. loooong day. but we all survived. not only the flight, but the whoe trip! and, more importantly, we all had fun :)
Friday, September 3
mmm...tropical...
if you can't find tourist info in cairns, then you probably can't find porn on the internet
so says our guidebook.
we arrived in cairns yesterday evening. 17 degrees S latitude. it's warm. it's nice. it's also a smidge touristy. there's tons to do here, but somewhat surprisingly, the town itself is lacking in the way of beaches. as will become clear when we get some pictures up. so if you want to lounge on the sand in the sun, you have several choices -
1. take a boat to an island
2. take a bus an hour up the shore
3. take advantage of the 'lagoon' they built in the boardwalk
we have opted for choice 4 - don't go to the beach. tomorrow is snorkeling and diving on the great barrier reef (can't wait!) and the day after that will be an all day rainforest adventure. as yesterday was flying all day, and today is walking around and shopping, that's about all i have to say...
so says our guidebook.
we arrived in cairns yesterday evening. 17 degrees S latitude. it's warm. it's nice. it's also a smidge touristy. there's tons to do here, but somewhat surprisingly, the town itself is lacking in the way of beaches. as will become clear when we get some pictures up. so if you want to lounge on the sand in the sun, you have several choices -
1. take a boat to an island
2. take a bus an hour up the shore
3. take advantage of the 'lagoon' they built in the boardwalk
we have opted for choice 4 - don't go to the beach. tomorrow is snorkeling and diving on the great barrier reef (can't wait!) and the day after that will be an all day rainforest adventure. as yesterday was flying all day, and today is walking around and shopping, that's about all i have to say...
Thursday, September 2
Australia: It gives a whole new meaning to 'stuffed olives'
Today was a study in scattering. Our various subgroups dispersed across the fair city of Adelaide, recombining and re-splitting by whim, circumstance, or malicious intent. The Adelaide veterans (Sean, Laura, and their parents) wandered the shopping district of the city, spending money fro and to (yes, i know), getting sore feet, meeting random aunts/siblings in cafes, and generally bumping into a lot of people because we instinctively try to pass on the right. The majority of the rest of the group (perhaps all, i didn't keep score) descended upon the aboriginal art museum, possibly other museums, and had a grand old time. At some point Andy wandered off, and Jenny got lost but found Andy, so they went to Glenelg instead. They completely failed to find the house where the veterans stayed last time (a condo is not a house), found a rather baffling mosaic instead, and some other palyndromic-city stuff as well.
A good time was had by all.
Tomorrow the under-30s depart for Cairns, and the majority of the remainders go on a wine 'tasting' tour of Barossa, a prolific wine producing region of Australia. Now, you may ask, do they produce prolific wine, or produce wine prolifically? We may never know. A simple hyphen would have solved everything, but that was too easy.
All attempt to post some or all of my 178 pictures have failed, because computers are vile, evil creatures that plot and conspire to interfere with our efforts. However, Jenny has posted some new pictures, so you can look at those instead.
A good time was had by all.
Tomorrow the under-30s depart for Cairns, and the majority of the remainders go on a wine 'tasting' tour of Barossa, a prolific wine producing region of Australia. Now, you may ask, do they produce prolific wine, or produce wine prolifically? We may never know. A simple hyphen would have solved everything, but that was too easy.
All attempt to post some or all of my 178 pictures have failed, because computers are vile, evil creatures that plot and conspire to interfere with our efforts. However, Jenny has posted some new pictures, so you can look at those instead.
Tuesday, August 31
redefining 'nothing' and 'nowhere'
you think you've been in the middle of nowhere. but you're wrong.
there's this plain in the middle of australia, which takes a day to cross by train, called the nullarbor (pronounced null-a-bore) plain. it means exactly what it says - no trees. oh, and nothing else either. don't believe me? look at this. this goes on for so long that there is a four-hundred-seventy something kilometer section of track that is absolutely flat and straight. (there is a town somewhere in there, named 'forest', that boasts a good hundred trees or so.)
i'm not trying to make it sounds like it wasn't fun. the plain was very pretty, spectacular sunsets and sunrises, and a lot of wildlife. we saw bunches of eagles and wild kangaroos. and we got to eat and sleep a lot, which is the best part of any vacation :)
and it's not entirely featureless. there's this gigantic hole in the middle of this plain in a place called kalgoorlie. they get a lot of gold out of this hole, which is why they've gone to all the trouble to dig it. the powers that be have decided that it is worth stopping for. so there's a bus tour of the town when the train stops there. at 11 pm. i don't know if anyone stayed awake for it, but all of our bunch paid our money and proceeded to doze through it. yet somehow everyone was awake for the story of the bartender who was losing business, and picked things up by making the standard uniform for his barmaids high heels - and nothing else. when told to fix this or lose his liquor license, he dressed them....in saran wrap.
so laura covered the excitement of today. in an effort to not be redundant, i'll shut up now.
australians are cool. they've got a few weirdnesses, like 1.5 hour time changes, my coffee with milk is a 'flat white', and 'entree' really means 'appetizer'. but they're all laid back and friendly, speak english, and their sense of humor is pretty much on par with ours. it makes getting around, and being here, very relaxing. and of course entertaining :)
and here's what you've all been waiting for...pictures! so far we've got a small selection from our assembly, perth, and train trip, but nothing more recent than yesterday. so quantity pictures, and shots of us cuddling with koalas and feeding kangaroos, will have to wait a day or two. enjoy!
there's this plain in the middle of australia, which takes a day to cross by train, called the nullarbor (pronounced null-a-bore) plain. it means exactly what it says - no trees. oh, and nothing else either. don't believe me? look at this. this goes on for so long that there is a four-hundred-seventy something kilometer section of track that is absolutely flat and straight. (there is a town somewhere in there, named 'forest', that boasts a good hundred trees or so.)
i'm not trying to make it sounds like it wasn't fun. the plain was very pretty, spectacular sunsets and sunrises, and a lot of wildlife. we saw bunches of eagles and wild kangaroos. and we got to eat and sleep a lot, which is the best part of any vacation :)
and it's not entirely featureless. there's this gigantic hole in the middle of this plain in a place called kalgoorlie. they get a lot of gold out of this hole, which is why they've gone to all the trouble to dig it. the powers that be have decided that it is worth stopping for. so there's a bus tour of the town when the train stops there. at 11 pm. i don't know if anyone stayed awake for it, but all of our bunch paid our money and proceeded to doze through it. yet somehow everyone was awake for the story of the bartender who was losing business, and picked things up by making the standard uniform for his barmaids high heels - and nothing else. when told to fix this or lose his liquor license, he dressed them....in saran wrap.
so laura covered the excitement of today. in an effort to not be redundant, i'll shut up now.
australians are cool. they've got a few weirdnesses, like 1.5 hour time changes, my coffee with milk is a 'flat white', and 'entree' really means 'appetizer'. but they're all laid back and friendly, speak english, and their sense of humor is pretty much on par with ours. it makes getting around, and being here, very relaxing. and of course entertaining :)
and here's what you've all been waiting for...pictures! so far we've got a small selection from our assembly, perth, and train trip, but nothing more recent than yesterday. so quantity pictures, and shots of us cuddling with koalas and feeding kangaroos, will have to wait a day or two. enjoy!
"birds don't have hands." "yeah, but monkeys don't have wings!"
The blog finds us in a hotel in Adelaide. Most everyone has crashed yet again (this whole changing to the local timezone just isn't working out for us). I'm clinging to consciousness in order to post.
We completed our transit across the Nullarbor plain this morning, exiting the train in Adelaide at the cheery hour of 7:20 am. Fortunately, we'd all been awake since at least 4am, so it wasn't like we had to wake up and pack quickly to disembark. Today involved a visit to Cleland Wildlife Park, where Jenny and i got dive-bombed by some sadistic birds (with unfortunately good aim, my pants may never forgive me).
I assume my afore-mentioned sister will post a much more dramatic blog entry accounting for the train ride and our first day in Adelaide, but right now she's not asleep, she swears. She's encouraging me to get my pictures posted somewhere where she can post links, which i'm attempting to do at this very moment...
We completed our transit across the Nullarbor plain this morning, exiting the train in Adelaide at the cheery hour of 7:20 am. Fortunately, we'd all been awake since at least 4am, so it wasn't like we had to wake up and pack quickly to disembark. Today involved a visit to Cleland Wildlife Park, where Jenny and i got dive-bombed by some sadistic birds (with unfortunately good aim, my pants may never forgive me).
I assume my afore-mentioned sister will post a much more dramatic blog entry accounting for the train ride and our first day in Adelaide, but right now she's not asleep, she swears. She's encouraging me to get my pictures posted somewhere where she can post links, which i'm attempting to do at this very moment...