Yes, I'm back in the lovely land of Oklahoma....
As most of you know I've been working on a project here in Oklahoma for the past three months. In fact, I first started this project in May and have officially spent a total of 5 months out of 2008 in Oklahoma. The pipeline goes into Texas and I've been working out there as well, but most of my time is here in OK.
I'm the city of Ada. Lovely little town that has East Central University and is approximately an hour away from Oklahoma City. Not too bad.
But its cold. Snow storm is supposed to come in tonight with 80 percent chance of snow! It was already 32 degrees at 3:00 pm!!! Yuk!
I'll send some pics and give y'all some details on tornado country.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Recap
I wish I never left but alas I'm back in Texas. And now that I am here are my photos by date so that you may enjoy:
 |
| Sept. 25-Day One |
 |
| Sept. 26th-Day Two |
 |
| Sept. 27th-Day Three |
 |
| Sept. 27th-Day Three Extra Videos |
 |
| Sept. 28th-Day Four |
 |
| Sept. 29-Day Five |
 |
| Sept. 30-Day Six |
 |
| Oct. 1-Day Seven |
 |
| Oct. 2-Day Eight |
 |
| Oct. 3-Day Nine |
 |
| Oct.4-Day 10 |
 |
| Oct.5 |
 |
| Oct.6 |
 |
| Oct. 8 |
 |
| Oct. 9 |
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Sydney-Day Fifteen
The plan was check out the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), the Rocks, and if I had time the Art Gallery or Bondi Beach. Now everybody knows Sydney by the Opera House. And I have to admit it is a beautiful bu idling, especially up close. Although the structure itself looks like a series of sails from a boat that's on the harbour, it was actually conceived to be parts of a sphere. And what looks to be one large white panel that cover the 'sails' are actually small 4x4 inch beige tiles. Not white. It really is great architecture and I coulda done the tour but I passed.
The Royal Botanical Gardens are very expansive and popular with the local runners. Goodness, from 10:00 to 12:00 there were runners everywhere! Zipping past me, coming towards me, doing sit ups and push ups on the grass, and few folks had some personal trainers with them. Overall, the gardens were lovely and I enjoyed just relaxing while I watched everybody work their butts off.
I then headed over to the MCA which is free, like most museums in Australia. And I was impressed. I especially loved the Yinka Shonibare exhibit. He is an African/English artist that uses Dutch fabric on mannequins, film, traditional paintings, and portraits to do his art (http://www.mca.com.au/default.asp?page_id=10&content_id=4251). I loved it!! He truly is fantastic and his art is so visually stimulating. I spent a long time there without even realizing it...probably 2 1/2 hours! The other exhibits were fantastic as well but not as fun as Shonibare's. If you ever hear of his work coming anywhere near your town....GO.
After being immersed in culture, I headed out to the Rocks. A touristy area with retail shops, restaurants, and art galleries. And roamed. I spent most of my time walking around this portion of the city and further south. So many people everywhere. I found myself a pub and had a beer and people watched. Sydney is such a diverse city and I saw every ethnicity you can think of really. And fortunately, these folks brought their food with them. Each block had numerous ethnic restaurants tucked into the building in tiny spaces...sushi stops, fish-n-chips, delis...and on and on. For dinner I decided on Japanese and got a delicious Bento Box...
The Royal Botanical Gardens are very expansive and popular with the local runners. Goodness, from 10:00 to 12:00 there were runners everywhere! Zipping past me, coming towards me, doing sit ups and push ups on the grass, and few folks had some personal trainers with them. Overall, the gardens were lovely and I enjoyed just relaxing while I watched everybody work their butts off.
I then headed over to the MCA which is free, like most museums in Australia. And I was impressed. I especially loved the Yinka Shonibare exhibit. He is an African/English artist that uses Dutch fabric on mannequins, film, traditional paintings, and portraits to do his art (http://www.mca.com.au/default.asp?page_id=10&content_id=4251). I loved it!! He truly is fantastic and his art is so visually stimulating. I spent a long time there without even realizing it...probably 2 1/2 hours! The other exhibits were fantastic as well but not as fun as Shonibare's. If you ever hear of his work coming anywhere near your town....GO.
After being immersed in culture, I headed out to the Rocks. A touristy area with retail shops, restaurants, and art galleries. And roamed. I spent most of my time walking around this portion of the city and further south. So many people everywhere. I found myself a pub and had a beer and people watched. Sydney is such a diverse city and I saw every ethnicity you can think of really. And fortunately, these folks brought their food with them. Each block had numerous ethnic restaurants tucked into the building in tiny spaces...sushi stops, fish-n-chips, delis...and on and on. For dinner I decided on Japanese and got a delicious Bento Box...
After that I continued to roam the city and headed out back to Circular Quay to check out the bridge and opera house at night. Really cool. I'm really sad that I have to go back. Realizing that this is my last full day in Australia...(I'm not counting the 8 hours I spent at the Sydney Airport on the following day) and I sat for a while along the Quay and tried to remember everything. I took the bus all the way back to the hostel to get one last look of the city from a bus and it was still bustling...When I got off the bus I had one last stop...and that was grabbing chocolate at the chocolateria San Churro, Miss Lisa Wagner Crawford told me about....and I had hot chocolate and grabbed a tin of buttermints....One last hoorah. Thanks Australia!!Manly-Day Fourteen
Sydney is a big city. I found that out when I decided to reduce my carbon footprint and walk to the Circular Quay (pronounced 'key'). I'm thinking maybe it would take me thirty minutes to get there. I wanted to check out the city as I walked before I headed out to Manly Beach north of Sydney Harbour on the ferries.
Jeez it took an hour! Heck, actually a bit more. I wanted to catch the 10:00 ferry and left at 9:30, but I ended up getting the 11:00 ferry. It was a great walk though to check out the city, the people, the stores, the restaurants...everything. When I got to the ferries, I was ready for a rest and waited. Circular Quay has about 5 wharfs that the ferries dock at and frequently cross the Sydney Harbour. I wanted to head to Manly 'cuz I heard it was an awesome beach. I was gonna do Bondi Beach, the most famous in Sydney, but I really wanted to do a ferry ride and check out the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge from the water.
I was not disappointed. It was a bright sunny day, about 72 degrees, and the views were fantastic. Ferry ride to Manly is highly recommended if you want great views of the city and its architectural icons. The ferry was full of families and teenagers heading out to the ocean. Once I got to Manly, I instantly liked it. Great beach town with lots of shops and restaurants and a FANTASTIC beach. I changed into my suit and ran out to to the water. The water was calm and clear and aqua blue. Freezing, but I was so excited to be swimming I didn't care. I swam and relaxed on the beach for a couple of hours and people watched, grateful for an awesome day. I went and got some lunch at the fish market and went shopping. Manly has great shops for souvenirs and really cheap so I loaded up.
While I was shopping I noticed that the shopping square was starting to fill up with lots of people wearing maroon and white. I asked a local what the deal was and apparently the Manly Sea Eagle Rugby Team was gonna parade within the square because they won the national championship...by a land slide. 40-0 against Melbourne and they were the underdogs predicted to loose. I had heard that they won and they were partying at one of the condos on the beach for the past three days (they won on Sunday), but I didn't really pay much attention to it. So they won what was equivalent to us back in the states as the Super Bowl. Needless to say, it was a hottie parade. I am now an official Manly Sea Eagle fan. I'll be starting a fan club back in Austin ladies, http://www.manlyseaeagles.com.au/default.asp.
Anyway, I enjoyed the festivities for a bit at the square and then hopped back on the ferry to get back to town. Again the view was fabulous and lovely. When I got off the ferry I decided to do the train and buses back. I was tired of walking, andI had another full day tomorrow. Once showered I headed out to find me some grub. I was in the mood for Indian food and I had seen a couple of places in my 'hood. I found a place called Nawan, or something like that. The food was good, but overpriced and really bad service...:-(. Oh well. Another day...and tomorrow was my last....
Jeez it took an hour! Heck, actually a bit more. I wanted to catch the 10:00 ferry and left at 9:30, but I ended up getting the 11:00 ferry. It was a great walk though to check out the city, the people, the stores, the restaurants...everything. When I got to the ferries, I was ready for a rest and waited. Circular Quay has about 5 wharfs that the ferries dock at and frequently cross the Sydney Harbour. I wanted to head to Manly 'cuz I heard it was an awesome beach. I was gonna do Bondi Beach, the most famous in Sydney, but I really wanted to do a ferry ride and check out the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge from the water.
I was not disappointed. It was a bright sunny day, about 72 degrees, and the views were fantastic. Ferry ride to Manly is highly recommended if you want great views of the city and its architectural icons. The ferry was full of families and teenagers heading out to the ocean. Once I got to Manly, I instantly liked it. Great beach town with lots of shops and restaurants and a FANTASTIC beach. I changed into my suit and ran out to to the water. The water was calm and clear and aqua blue. Freezing, but I was so excited to be swimming I didn't care. I swam and relaxed on the beach for a couple of hours and people watched, grateful for an awesome day. I went and got some lunch at the fish market and went shopping. Manly has great shops for souvenirs and really cheap so I loaded up.
While I was shopping I noticed that the shopping square was starting to fill up with lots of people wearing maroon and white. I asked a local what the deal was and apparently the Manly Sea Eagle Rugby Team was gonna parade within the square because they won the national championship...by a land slide. 40-0 against Melbourne and they were the underdogs predicted to loose. I had heard that they won and they were partying at one of the condos on the beach for the past three days (they won on Sunday), but I didn't really pay much attention to it. So they won what was equivalent to us back in the states as the Super Bowl. Needless to say, it was a hottie parade. I am now an official Manly Sea Eagle fan. I'll be starting a fan club back in Austin ladies, http://www.manlyseaeagles.com.au/default.asp.
Anyway, I enjoyed the festivities for a bit at the square and then hopped back on the ferry to get back to town. Again the view was fabulous and lovely. When I got off the ferry I decided to do the train and buses back. I was tired of walking, andI had another full day tomorrow. Once showered I headed out to find me some grub. I was in the mood for Indian food and I had seen a couple of places in my 'hood. I found a place called Nawan, or something like that. The food was good, but overpriced and really bad service...:-(. Oh well. Another day...and tomorrow was my last....
Travel to Sydney-Day Thirteen
Travel from Melbourne to Sydney was pretty uneventful on day thirteen. I drove the GRO again on my way to the airport in Melbourne and then flew to Sydney from there. I got to the airport early so I can catch up on what's going on as far as the elections and economy....whoa nelly! I'll be checking on my 401K as soon as I get back...if it's still there...So the flight was about a 2 1/2 hour flight and there three very loud, rowdy Italian guys sitting in the row in front of me jamming out, to of all things, Enrique Iglesias Bailamos album...yeah. Weird.
Once I got to Sydney I had to figure out the lovely train system there to get to my hostel in Glebe. I ended up getting a pass that'll let me on all the trains, buses, and ferries. It was great until I realized that I was going to have to get on a bus to get to my hostel with all my luggage. What a POA. And because I didn't know where exactly my hostel was on the road I got dropped off on, I ended up walking up hill with all my luggage (I accumulated another big bag) for about 2 km. I was sweating buckets when I got to the reception. Pretty unattractive.
So I checked in and showered immediately so I can check out my 'hood. This hostel had five to a room and the beds were all full. Nobody was there when I got in but It'll be interesting when I get in at night. The hostel is apartment style with several floors, an internet room, and a large kitchen downstairs. Pretty cool. I decided I was gonna make my breaky every morning so I went shopping. Glebe is a pretty cool neighborhood with beautiful historic town homes, local food shops, and restaurants. I was able to get fresh bread, fresh veggies, milk and eggs all along the first two blocks. And the cool thing is if you walk another two blocks...you'll find more small grocers with fresh goods. I really like this idea of having individual shops for specific food items. I know we've gotten away from that back in the states, but having a local butcher, bread maker, produce guy, fish guy, and dairy guy makes it seem you're so much more connected to the community. And it seems the quality is better too since each person is responsible for their product.
Anyway, I got my goods and got some dinner at a little hole in the wall Thai place. It had Laksa and from what I remember back in Adelaide at the Central Markets when Boone had it ....it was good. So I got some for dinner and headed back to the kitchens at the hostel to eat it there. Lots of people were staying here. Young, old, and from all over the place. I heard German, Swedish, French, and Italian, and a series of Asian languages I could not identify. Great people watching. I ate my Laksa (which was fantastic!) and headed in for bed. One of my roomates was already there a sweet girl from Japan that knew hardly any English. We introduced ourselves and I crashed...tomorrow Sydney.
Once I got to Sydney I had to figure out the lovely train system there to get to my hostel in Glebe. I ended up getting a pass that'll let me on all the trains, buses, and ferries. It was great until I realized that I was going to have to get on a bus to get to my hostel with all my luggage. What a POA. And because I didn't know where exactly my hostel was on the road I got dropped off on, I ended up walking up hill with all my luggage (I accumulated another big bag) for about 2 km. I was sweating buckets when I got to the reception. Pretty unattractive.
So I checked in and showered immediately so I can check out my 'hood. This hostel had five to a room and the beds were all full. Nobody was there when I got in but It'll be interesting when I get in at night. The hostel is apartment style with several floors, an internet room, and a large kitchen downstairs. Pretty cool. I decided I was gonna make my breaky every morning so I went shopping. Glebe is a pretty cool neighborhood with beautiful historic town homes, local food shops, and restaurants. I was able to get fresh bread, fresh veggies, milk and eggs all along the first two blocks. And the cool thing is if you walk another two blocks...you'll find more small grocers with fresh goods. I really like this idea of having individual shops for specific food items. I know we've gotten away from that back in the states, but having a local butcher, bread maker, produce guy, fish guy, and dairy guy makes it seem you're so much more connected to the community. And it seems the quality is better too since each person is responsible for their product.
Anyway, I got my goods and got some dinner at a little hole in the wall Thai place. It had Laksa and from what I remember back in Adelaide at the Central Markets when Boone had it ....it was good. So I got some for dinner and headed back to the kitchens at the hostel to eat it there. Lots of people were staying here. Young, old, and from all over the place. I heard German, Swedish, French, and Italian, and a series of Asian languages I could not identify. Great people watching. I ate my Laksa (which was fantastic!) and headed in for bed. One of my roomates was already there a sweet girl from Japan that knew hardly any English. We introduced ourselves and I crashed...tomorrow Sydney.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Great Ocean Road-Lorne Day Eleven and Twelve
(No photos on this one....not at a good place to download them....but will soon!)
I'm so glad Sarah recommended I travel along the Great Ocean Road. It was fantastic! In addition, Boone gave a top six list of things to do while I was on the road and I was able to do most of them. From Port Fairy I traveled to Port Campbell and saw the beautiful 12 Apostles at the marine park there. These are a series of limestone monuments that were part of the mainland but have been eroded away by the ocean and now standalone like sculptures along the coast. Very cool.
I dropped by several of the other little towns along the road and checked out plenty of 'Scenic overlooks'. But the drive was stunning and I was lucky enough to have a gorgeous day. Another one of Boone's things to do was take a rainforest walk. A rainforest walk you ask? In Australia? You betcha! It was just off the main road and quick 20 minute hike. But it really was a rainforrest. It smelled like it too. Very lush, green, with huge trees! Totally unexpected considering most people think of desert when they think Australia.
I continued onto Lorne, my stop, and went through Apollo Bay. These are awesome beach communities with really beautiful beaches that are shallow and tame. Once I got into Lorne I settled into my hostel roamed around town then headed back to get ready for dinner. I ate at this really surprising tapas bar called BaBaLu. It was Paella night with a live band. Very relaxing. I didn't have the paella but I heard it was good...instead I opted for a series of tapas which were quite filling and delicious.
My plan for the following day was to learn how to surf....at the surf capital of Australia, Torquay. Unfortuneatley, a storm blew in the night before and it dropped the temperature 15 degrees. Too cold for my blood...55 degrees F. Cold weather + cold water = unhappy Laura...strike one. But I decided to check out the famous beaches on Torquay, Jan Juc, and Bells anyway. There were some dedicated surfers out there but it was dang cold. It start by Boone to check out the golf course. He wouldn't tell me why but he said it was a surprise. Anyway, as I drove up there I saw signs that the course would be closed to visitors that wanted to see the kangaroos...so I guess that was what the surprise was...strike two. Oh well.
Took my time on the GOR towards Lorne and enjoyed the scenery. At this point I only had one thing left on my list. Erksine Falls just outside of Lorne. I was debating. Should I or shouldn't I. It was about to rain again. I've already had two strikes....Ah, I did it.
Homerun....it was an awesome waterfall in what seemed another rainforrest. It was a steep hike down then up to get to the base of the falls but well worth it. Again really lush and green. And what's so amazing is that its this beautiful forrest and woods just 15 minutes for the most gorgeous coast you can imagine. I was in heaven folks.
At this point, I've done all on my list and it was relax time. Took a walk along the beach, headed to one of the pubs when it began to rain, and chilled....tomorrow travel to Melbourne then Sydney.....
I'm so glad Sarah recommended I travel along the Great Ocean Road. It was fantastic! In addition, Boone gave a top six list of things to do while I was on the road and I was able to do most of them. From Port Fairy I traveled to Port Campbell and saw the beautiful 12 Apostles at the marine park there. These are a series of limestone monuments that were part of the mainland but have been eroded away by the ocean and now standalone like sculptures along the coast. Very cool.
I dropped by several of the other little towns along the road and checked out plenty of 'Scenic overlooks'. But the drive was stunning and I was lucky enough to have a gorgeous day. Another one of Boone's things to do was take a rainforest walk. A rainforest walk you ask? In Australia? You betcha! It was just off the main road and quick 20 minute hike. But it really was a rainforrest. It smelled like it too. Very lush, green, with huge trees! Totally unexpected considering most people think of desert when they think Australia.
I continued onto Lorne, my stop, and went through Apollo Bay. These are awesome beach communities with really beautiful beaches that are shallow and tame. Once I got into Lorne I settled into my hostel roamed around town then headed back to get ready for dinner. I ate at this really surprising tapas bar called BaBaLu. It was Paella night with a live band. Very relaxing. I didn't have the paella but I heard it was good...instead I opted for a series of tapas which were quite filling and delicious.
My plan for the following day was to learn how to surf....at the surf capital of Australia, Torquay. Unfortuneatley, a storm blew in the night before and it dropped the temperature 15 degrees. Too cold for my blood...55 degrees F. Cold weather + cold water = unhappy Laura...strike one. But I decided to check out the famous beaches on Torquay, Jan Juc, and Bells anyway. There were some dedicated surfers out there but it was dang cold. It start by Boone to check out the golf course. He wouldn't tell me why but he said it was a surprise. Anyway, as I drove up there I saw signs that the course would be closed to visitors that wanted to see the kangaroos...so I guess that was what the surprise was...strike two. Oh well.
Took my time on the GOR towards Lorne and enjoyed the scenery. At this point I only had one thing left on my list. Erksine Falls just outside of Lorne. I was debating. Should I or shouldn't I. It was about to rain again. I've already had two strikes....Ah, I did it.
Homerun....it was an awesome waterfall in what seemed another rainforrest. It was a steep hike down then up to get to the base of the falls but well worth it. Again really lush and green. And what's so amazing is that its this beautiful forrest and woods just 15 minutes for the most gorgeous coast you can imagine. I was in heaven folks.
At this point, I've done all on my list and it was relax time. Took a walk along the beach, headed to one of the pubs when it began to rain, and chilled....tomorrow travel to Melbourne then Sydney.....
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Princess Highway-Day Ten
So I've been driving on the the left side of the road....weird!!! I said good-bye to Boone and Sarah :-(, after I picked up my rental and then I was off to the Great Ocean Road. Yes folks Laura has officially gone international. I drove from Adelaide to Port Fairy with a stop in Mt. Gambier and Port McDonnel.
It was quite beautiful...lots of vineyards, rolling hills, sheep farms with fluffy fat sheep, and large eucalyptus trees. I have to admit it felt good driving again and after a while I got used to driving on the "wrong" side. Luckily, all I had to do was drive on a highway so I didn't have to worry about driving in town getting all confused. I do have to admit that I did take a couple of wrong turns! But it was fun and I got listen to Australian radio. Lots of dance music. And I got to listen to the news...something about America in an economic crisis? I don't care. I'm on vacation.
Anyway, Port McDonnel was cool and had a petrified forrest on the beach and beautiful limestone cliffs. Mt. Gambier had a huge crater with a gorgeous blue lake...called Blue Lake. Anyway, at this point it was getting late and I had to make it to Port Fairy to get to my reservation at the hostel. I made it settled in and had dinner at a local restaurant. After that I crashed. Daylight savings time here....and tomorrow will be another full day...
Friday, October 3, 2008
Kangaroo Island-Day Five through Nine
There are not enough adjectives to adequately describe Kangaroo Island the fun I had there. It's an amazing place and I feel pretty lucky that I got to experience it, especially since not even most Australians do much less travelers. Its rugged, untouched, pristine, beautiful, and wild. Now, at first I believed I was to do some good ol' fashioned camping with tents on the beach. Thankfully, Boone and Sarah surprised me and got a lovely beach house on Island Beach just footsteps away from the turquoise ocean. Yes it was that blue.
I visited several beaches in fact...Pennington Bay, Vivonne Bay, Stokes Bay, Antechamber Bay, and Maupertuis Bay. All stunning. I fished and actually caught my first fish ever! It was too small so I had to throw it back but it was still fun. So I became addicted and wanted to fish every chance we got. But thankfully Boone and Sarah took me to Flinders Chase National Park on the western part of the island and I got to hike some awesome hills and a river that looked like tea drain into the ocean, see a seal colony and watch a couple of them play in the water, climb and scuttle under huge granite boulders at the Remarkable rocks. That was just one day!
And the wildlife.....everywhere! Kangaroos hopping up just to say hello, wallabies everywhere, and koalas in trees by the side of the road! We also saw a tiger snake...one of the most deadliest...cross the road but Boone took a photo of that puppy. Yuk. Anyway, I also got to actually hold and nurse the tiniest baby wallaby ever.
Boone and Sarah's friends who live on the island rescued it from the side of the road. Its mama was run over by a car (it happens a lot). So she was taking care of it feeding it Wallaroo, baby kangaroo and wallaby formula. Hilarious! Anyway, Boone and Sarah's friends Maggie and Holger made their life here on KI about 20 years ago from nothing. They built their own house, caught their own food, and grew their own vegetables. We were able to have dinner with them one night and they have to be one of the most loveliest down to earth people I've ever met.
I wish I could say I swam the beautiful Southern Ocean but it was freezing!! Keep in mind that these are Antarctic waters and the weather was chilly itself. I finally was able to submerge myself in Stokes Beach 'cuz it had a little shallow pool protecting it from the rest of the waves. Colder that Barton Springs people! But it was still fabulous.
And what did I eat you ask? Well, since we didn't catch that many fish (dodgy tide) we luckily had all the awesome stuff we bought from Central Market. But we did cook one fish that Boone caught one day and ate it as fish tacos. Then we also got fresh Oysters. Just off the boat fresh. And they were huge! We ate them raw and then Sarah later baked some of them on a half shell with garlic butter and parmesean cheese.....drool. And we had wonderful cheeses and stopped off at a great little cafe that had awesome fish and chips. Life is so good.
Our last day at KI was sad and we all didn't want to leave. But maybe...just maybe...Boone and Sarah will get some land there...(they're thinking about it!)...and hopefully I'll be back and experience it all again
I visited several beaches in fact...Pennington Bay, Vivonne Bay, Stokes Bay, Antechamber Bay, and Maupertuis Bay. All stunning. I fished and actually caught my first fish ever! It was too small so I had to throw it back but it was still fun. So I became addicted and wanted to fish every chance we got. But thankfully Boone and Sarah took me to Flinders Chase National Park on the western part of the island and I got to hike some awesome hills and a river that looked like tea drain into the ocean, see a seal colony and watch a couple of them play in the water, climb and scuttle under huge granite boulders at the Remarkable rocks. That was just one day!
And the wildlife.....everywhere! Kangaroos hopping up just to say hello, wallabies everywhere, and koalas in trees by the side of the road! We also saw a tiger snake...one of the most deadliest...cross the road but Boone took a photo of that puppy. Yuk. Anyway, I also got to actually hold and nurse the tiniest baby wallaby ever.
Boone and Sarah's friends who live on the island rescued it from the side of the road. Its mama was run over by a car (it happens a lot). So she was taking care of it feeding it Wallaroo, baby kangaroo and wallaby formula. Hilarious! Anyway, Boone and Sarah's friends Maggie and Holger made their life here on KI about 20 years ago from nothing. They built their own house, caught their own food, and grew their own vegetables. We were able to have dinner with them one night and they have to be one of the most loveliest down to earth people I've ever met.I wish I could say I swam the beautiful Southern Ocean but it was freezing!! Keep in mind that these are Antarctic waters and the weather was chilly itself. I finally was able to submerge myself in Stokes Beach 'cuz it had a little shallow pool protecting it from the rest of the waves. Colder that Barton Springs people! But it was still fabulous.
And what did I eat you ask? Well, since we didn't catch that many fish (dodgy tide) we luckily had all the awesome stuff we bought from Central Market. But we did cook one fish that Boone caught one day and ate it as fish tacos. Then we also got fresh Oysters. Just off the boat fresh. And they were huge! We ate them raw and then Sarah later baked some of them on a half shell with garlic butter and parmesean cheese.....drool. And we had wonderful cheeses and stopped off at a great little cafe that had awesome fish and chips. Life is so good.
Our last day at KI was sad and we all didn't want to leave. But maybe...just maybe...Boone and Sarah will get some land there...(they're thinking about it!)...and hopefully I'll be back and experience it all again
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Glenelg part 2 and Roller Derby-Day Four
(Again...trouble with downloading photos...just text)
There is an annoying bird that wakes me up every morning here. It’s called a magpie and its black and white. It pretty much is like a crow but much more vocal. It wakes me every morning at around 5:45 am and it sounds like a dude whistling. At first I thought it was Boone, and I thought he was crazy for being up that early. But later Sarah told me what that annoying sound was.
Well, today was a very low key day considering the big day I had yesterday. Sarah had an important roller derby game today so I woke up a bit early so I could leave the Law’s to themselves and I could roam around Glenelg. I had a great breakfast at one of the local bakeries.
It was “the works” breaky with eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, and bread. Pretty typical breaky here but the bacon is different. It looks more like ham and it’s way more fattier. And of course it’s awesome. So I filled up and went roaming in the local stores, along the shore, on the pier, in the square…very relaxing. I got Sarah some good luck chocolate for the game and some pastries for breaky tomorrow. Sarah and Boone were already getting ready for the game so I changed and we headed off to the Adelaide Showgrounds.
Sarah started the league here in Adelaide and it has really taken off. There are leagues it the cities of Melbourne and Brisbane and they’re pretty intense. But Sarah brought a more community and comradery aspect to the league here. All the girls are fantastic and genuinely enjoy the game and each other. In this first season in Adelaide they’ve been able to have 800 to 1000 spectators at each game! And all the girls are such characters and from all walks of life. This last game of the season is between the only two teams thus far in the Adelaide league, The Salty Dolls and the Mile Die Club. Next year they might have enough girls interested in playing for three leagues. The crowd at the games really get into it and are sometimes shocked to find out how hard-core it is. It really is a tough sport and the girls really do get hurt. In fact, one of the girls during this game fell face forward and suffered a minor concussion. Hard-core, I tell you.
Sarah (Barrellhouse Bessy) played her best game but unfortunately her team (Mile Die) lost. But the after party was in a cool little pub called the Electric Light Hotel. Now, pubs here are called hotels. I’m not really sure why but if you read about a hotel in Australia it’s possibly just a pub. Anyway, the girls unwinded at the pub and mingled and recovered. Really good people. We headed back to the house right after 10 pm to get ready for the next day. Getting ready for KI. So awesome….!!
Well, today was a very low key day considering the big day I had yesterday. Sarah had an important roller derby game today so I woke up a bit early so I could leave the Law’s to themselves and I could roam around Glenelg. I had a great breakfast at one of the local bakeries.
It was “the works” breaky with eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, and bread. Pretty typical breaky here but the bacon is different. It looks more like ham and it’s way more fattier. And of course it’s awesome. So I filled up and went roaming in the local stores, along the shore, on the pier, in the square…very relaxing. I got Sarah some good luck chocolate for the game and some pastries for breaky tomorrow. Sarah and Boone were already getting ready for the game so I changed and we headed off to the Adelaide Showgrounds.Sarah started the league here in Adelaide and it has really taken off. There are leagues it the cities of Melbourne and Brisbane and they’re pretty intense. But Sarah brought a more community and comradery aspect to the league here. All the girls are fantastic and genuinely enjoy the game and each other. In this first season in Adelaide they’ve been able to have 800 to 1000 spectators at each game! And all the girls are such characters and from all walks of life. This last game of the season is between the only two teams thus far in the Adelaide league, The Salty Dolls and the Mile Die Club. Next year they might have enough girls interested in playing for three leagues. The crowd at the games really get into it and are sometimes shocked to find out how hard-core it is. It really is a tough sport and the girls really do get hurt. In fact, one of the girls during this game fell face forward and suffered a minor concussion. Hard-core, I tell you.
Sarah (Barrellhouse Bessy) played her best game but unfortunately her team (Mile Die) lost. But the after party was in a cool little pub called the Electric Light Hotel. Now, pubs here are called hotels. I’m not really sure why but if you read about a hotel in Australia it’s possibly just a pub. Anyway, the girls unwinded at the pub and mingled and recovered. Really good people. We headed back to the house right after 10 pm to get ready for the next day. Getting ready for KI. So awesome….!!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Cleland and McClaren Vale-Day Three
(I'm out in the boonies--so I'm having trouble downloading photos so I'll update the blogs with photos when I can--otherwise its just boring text)
So I’ve been itching like crazy since I got here. It is extremely dry here so my skin is going crazy. It’s not as bad as Arizona but close. So on this morning the goal was to find some good lotion and gather up supplies for our stay out on Kangaroo Island (KI). We want back to Central Market to get breakfast and resources. I love Central Market. I love market shopping. It’s just vendor after vendor. We went to Sarah’s favorite breaky (that’s what breakfast is called) spot. It’s very popular and we had to wait just a few minutes to get a seat which was fine. We all ordered the green eggs and ham which is eggs scrambled with a basil pesto over rye bread and a side of prosciutto. It seemed like the used a whole stick of butter for each plate so Paula Dean woulda been proud. As we devoured our dish, Sarah made a plan of action to gather our goods. Boone was supposed to help but, big surprise, he doesn’t like shopping. He only wanted to participate when we got the meat. I had to laugh…we followed the division of labor roles (gathering-produce and hunting-meat) unintentionally.
Anyway, we got lots of cheeses, crackers/wafers, fig spread, avocadoes, bacon, pasta (stuffed ravioli)…You can pretty much get anything here. They have a yogurt shop, a mushroom shop, a kangaroo meat market, a fish market, an Asian market, etc., etc. Fantastic! So after we did our shopping were set to go Cleland Wildlife part which was a great place to see native animals. It’s just outside of Adelaide in the hills. So basically, Adelaide is bordered by lovely jade colored beaches and lush hills and slopes. Poor bastards. We detoured to the Eagle of the Hill which was a closed-up abandoned tourist trap, but I was able to take a fabulous photo of the city and the ocean. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Well we could have, but I’m pretty sure the dude in charge of passing out great days would’ve said, “You have the best day…don’t get greedy.”
Cleland has wallabies, wombats, kangaroos, bandicoots, bilbies, dingoes, and of course koalas. I got to pet so many wallabies and kangaroos it was unbelievable. Roos are like deer back home, (hence the meat market) and there are two different kinds in the park. Brownish/gray fuzzy ones and the most recognizable ones, the large short-red haired ones. The wallabies look like roos but they are much smaller and so cute. We even got to see a couple with little joey’s! We also got to see an echidna in its little habitat going nuts over some ants. Crazy looking critter! It’s the only other mammal that lays eggs like the platypus.
We also got to see the wombats, and even a Tasmanian devil, which I must admit really cute. Then we got to go to the Koala’s. They are in an area that is not like the other sections of the park. The park is spread out and divided into different sections so the wildlife is free to roam. However, the koalas are a bit special since they are really sensitive and can be quite mean. The only way you can see one up close is with a ranger and only with four people at a time. So we took our pictures. I coulda held one but that was an extra 15 bucks. Pass. Instead I was able to get up close to a ferocious bandicoot. It was quite scary but I think I handled myself pretty well.
We spent a good two hours at the park so we ready to go do some wine tasting. Sarah volunteered to be DD since she had a big roller derby game tomorrow. The wineries are all up in the Adelaide hills in gorgeous country with lush trees, bright green pasture, slopping hills and valleys. I wish I coulda enjoyed it but the beautiful winding roads made me sick to my stomach and I had to make Sarah pull over so I could hurl on the side of the road. Blah. Pretty disgusting but it wasn’t long before we got to the first winery and once I got there I proceeded to taste every wine they had. The winery is called Woodstock and my favorites were “The Stocks” shiraz, the sweet white, and the awesome fortified shiraz (port). I was able to settle my stomach and we proceeded to Sarah and Boone’s favorite spot in the wine country of McClaren Vale. It’s a great outta the way spot off the beaten path that shows the hills, city, and ocean in one view. It was beautiful. We even got to see kangaroos in the wild hopping along the landscape. We stayed just long enough to be able to make our reservation at Russel’s in Willanga.
Now Russell’s is a pizza joint in the little town of Willanga that you need to make reservations for months in advance. Whenever we told people were going they were 1) envious, 2)salivating, 3)angry. One of the roller girls was particularly upset since she had never been herself and exclaimed “What! You’ve only been here five minutes and you’re going to Russell’s!!” I felt very privileged. And it was phenomenal!! The restaurant is in a quaint rustic house of an undetermined age with two large brick stoves that they cook the pizzas in. Words can’t really do it justice. I’ll try. Three course meal. Fresh baked bread with olive oil and duka (crushed nuts), fresh salad, pizza one was half margarita and half seafood (mussels, shrimp, squid), the pizza boad had half chicken and half lamb, and were given three deserts. Rhubarb tart, flan, chocolate cake with baked pears. This has been the highlight of the trip. So delicious. We were enjoying each others company, the wine, the food. I felt very lucky. And I still have 10 more days left….:-)
We spent a good two hours at the park so we ready to go do some wine tasting. Sarah volunteered to be DD since she had a big roller derby game tomorrow. The wineries are all up in the Adelaide hills in gorgeous country with lush trees, bright green pasture, slopping hills and valleys. I wish I coulda enjoyed it but the beautiful winding roads made me sick to my stomach and I had to make Sarah pull over so I could hurl on the side of the road. Blah. Pretty disgusting but it wasn’t long before we got to the first winery and once I got there I proceeded to taste every wine they had. The winery is called Woodstock and my favorites were “The Stocks” shiraz, the sweet white, and the awesome fortified shiraz (port). I was able to settle my stomach and we proceeded to Sarah and Boone’s favorite spot in the wine country of McClaren Vale. It’s a great outta the way spot off the beaten path that shows the hills, city, and ocean in one view. It was beautiful. We even got to see kangaroos in the wild hopping along the landscape. We stayed just long enough to be able to make our reservation at Russel’s in Willanga.
Now Russell’s is a pizza joint in the little town of Willanga that you need to make reservations for months in advance. Whenever we told people were going they were 1) envious, 2)salivating, 3)angry. One of the roller girls was particularly upset since she had never been herself and exclaimed “What! You’ve only been here five minutes and you’re going to Russell’s!!” I felt very privileged. And it was phenomenal!! The restaurant is in a quaint rustic house of an undetermined age with two large brick stoves that they cook the pizzas in. Words can’t really do it justice. I’ll try. Three course meal. Fresh baked bread with olive oil and duka (crushed nuts), fresh salad, pizza one was half margarita and half seafood (mussels, shrimp, squid), the pizza boad had half chicken and half lamb, and were given three deserts. Rhubarb tart, flan, chocolate cake with baked pears. This has been the highlight of the trip. So delicious. We were enjoying each others company, the wine, the food. I felt very lucky. And I still have 10 more days left….:-)
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Adelaide - Day Two
On Friday morning, Sept. 26th, I went to work with Sarah at the University of Adelaide. She works for the National Wine Centre as an events coordinator. We took the city tram (little commuter train on tracks) to the northern portion of the city where the university is. Adelaide has three universities, The University of Adelaide (UA), the University of South Australia (UniSA), and Flinders University. UA and UniSA are intertwined and you can't tell which one starts where. But the campuses are awesome with beautiful buildings and architecture. Once we got off the tram we had to walk through Rundle Mall, a huge outdoor mall. Stores I ain't never heard of. But they did have a Target. No Wal-Mart.So as Sarah went to work, I got to visit several of the museums which are free! All museums are free in Australia. So, the first one I went to was the South Australian Museum which houses several natural history exhibits and an awesome Aboriginal exhibit. The Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery has one of the most extensive collections of Aboriginal artifacts in really good condition and the displays are so remarkable. They've organized the artifacts by function so you have displays by hunting, fire, water, string, food, play, medicine, and so forth. Norman Tindale at the age of 20 in the 1930s traveled the whole continent to visit with every Aboriginal Tribe he could and was sometimes the first white man to be seen by the tribes. He took pictures and
collected artifacts. I really enjoyed the exhibit and pretty much spent as much time in this section of the museum and forgot about the other stuff in it. I had to make may way down to the Art Gallery of South Australia before meeting Sarah and Lucretia (her office mate) for lunch.
The Art Gallery of South Australia was fantastic but I must admit I breezed through it. One wing was entirely Australian work from settlement to modern times. The other wing contained collections from around the world. I had some favorite pieces but I really wasn't allowed to take photos.I met up with the girls for lunch and we went down to this fantastic cafe called Aroma. I ate a delicious combo
platter of spinich ravioli and sweet potatoe salad. Yum! After lunch, Sarah recommended I go to the Botanical Gardens to take a nap.
That sounded like a fabulous idea so I did. The Botanical Gardens were fantastic and it seems to be a favorite spot for students and city dwellers to hang out, have a picnic, have a nap, and relax. The grounds are very spacious and the vegetation was beautiful. So I took Sarah's advice and had a lovely nap. Once I woke up I roamed around the gardens for a few more minutes and went to explore this city a bit more.Now, you know that everybody drives on the "wrong" side of the road here, but it's more of a hassle as a pedestrian for me. I kept looking at the wrong side before crossing the street. Luckily, I followed the age old rule we learned since we were all two and always looked both ways...even though I mistakenly looked to my left first instead of my right. So I walked around the city a bit before heading back to the museum. Sarah said I had to go back to the SAM to look at the fossils. And I'm glad I did. They had, which I think might be the only one in the world, an opalized dinosaur.
Yes, opalized. It was the coolest thing ever. The museum also had some of the oldest fossils in the world! I'm also glad I went back to check out their minerals and meteorites exhibit. And in between there the fossils and the minerals was a fantastic exhibit paying tribute to one of Australia's great explorers, Sir Douglas Mawson. This dude is hard core. He pretty much trekked across Antarctica alone after his team died to try to find the south magnetic pole. Which he did, and in the process published a great deal of data on the biology and geology of Antarctica.
So once I got to do all that I went over to pick up Sarah so we could go meet her friend and Boone for dinner at Central Market. THE Central Market. Central Market back home doesn't hold a candle to this one. It's the biggest one in the world. It's on one whole city block. And its beautiful. So many food vendors. We ate at the Asian food hall and I really can't tell you what I had, because I really didn't know what it was. Fish with some sauce and it was fantastic. Once we were done we went to a function that the Roller Derby girls were helping out with. It was the kick-off to Feast 2008 a Gay and Lesbian festival that starts in November and the girls were there to pass out programs. It didn't take long which was good because I was sooo exhausted. I had one beer and I was ready to pass out. We have a big day tomorrow. It's gonna be a great one...can't wait to fill you guys in!!Friday, September 26, 2008
Glenelg- Day One
Okay so arrived on September 25th at around 10:30 A.M. Like I said the flight was exhausting! They fed me
three times (2 from L.A. to New Zealand and 1 from NZ to Adelaide) and incidentally I saved a little bit of each meal on my blouse as a souvenir when I greeted Boone at the airport. Immigration and customs was a breeze but you do have to delclare everything. Even over the counter meds and packaged goodies (snacks).
So Boone picked me up and asked if I needed to take a shower and nap. I really needed the shower but as exhausted as I was when I got off the plane, the minute I landed I had this surge of energy.
The weather was a breezy 80 degrees, clear blue skies. There was no way I could sleep. So the first thing I wanted to do before going back to he and Sarah's house for a shower was head to the beach. Luckily, Boone lives like 2 blocks from the beach in the southern coastal suburb of Glenelg. A road winds along the edge of the coast and you get a full view of the jade green Southern Ocean. He parked next and I jumped off to take a photo.
Then went back to his house (2 blocks!!) and I got to shower. His house is really cute and I have my own room
to myself! And my own toilet. Which is what everybody says here. Nobody says bathroom, or washroom, or lavatory, or "ladies" room. They say "Here's the toilet, there's the toilet..." It's funny. Anyway, once I was washed up we walked down along the beach road to the town centre. Glenelg is pretty much a beach community that people from the city come to vacation or go holiday in. There is a lot of beach front condos and houses for sale and rent. Closer to town there is a square and a long pier that extends from town into the ocean and tons of areas to sit down and relax.
We were getting hungry so we went to one of Boone's favorite cafes for brunch, called Zest. Soooo yummy! We both had the Hell's Eggs which was two poached eggs in a spicy salsa with melted cheese and toasted baguette.
The coffee is SUPER strong (Itlaian influence) and there is a specific way you order it. Tall black is regular cup of coffee, Flat white is regular cup of coffee with milk, and short black is espresso shot. We ate then went and got some chocolate (Australia makes kick as chocolate).
At this point I was feeling pretty tired so we went back to the house so I could take a nap. Sarah was working and Boone was gonna go run some errands while I zonked out in my room in my comfortable bed.
At around four I woke up and Boone said we were gonna wait for Sarah to get out from work and that we'll meet her on the beach with wine and strawberries. That's right, sparkling Shirah and strawberries on the beach while we watch the sunset. Don't hate me.
Then to close up the perfect first day. Boone and Sarah (more Sarah) made a delicious dinner of grilled lamb with Moroccon seasoning and fresh spinch - broccoli salad.
Oh yeah. I fell asleep happy, full, and dreaming about I would eat tomorrow.
three times (2 from L.A. to New Zealand and 1 from NZ to Adelaide) and incidentally I saved a little bit of each meal on my blouse as a souvenir when I greeted Boone at the airport. Immigration and customs was a breeze but you do have to delclare everything. Even over the counter meds and packaged goodies (snacks).So Boone picked me up and asked if I needed to take a shower and nap. I really needed the shower but as exhausted as I was when I got off the plane, the minute I landed I had this surge of energy.
The weather was a breezy 80 degrees, clear blue skies. There was no way I could sleep. So the first thing I wanted to do before going back to he and Sarah's house for a shower was head to the beach. Luckily, Boone lives like 2 blocks from the beach in the southern coastal suburb of Glenelg. A road winds along the edge of the coast and you get a full view of the jade green Southern Ocean. He parked next and I jumped off to take a photo.
Then went back to his house (2 blocks!!) and I got to shower. His house is really cute and I have my own room
to myself! And my own toilet. Which is what everybody says here. Nobody says bathroom, or washroom, or lavatory, or "ladies" room. They say "Here's the toilet, there's the toilet..." It's funny. Anyway, once I was washed up we walked down along the beach road to the town centre. Glenelg is pretty much a beach community that people from the city come to vacation or go holiday in. There is a lot of beach front condos and houses for sale and rent. Closer to town there is a square and a long pier that extends from town into the ocean and tons of areas to sit down and relax.We were getting hungry so we went to one of Boone's favorite cafes for brunch, called Zest. Soooo yummy! We both had the Hell's Eggs which was two poached eggs in a spicy salsa with melted cheese and toasted baguette.
The coffee is SUPER strong (Itlaian influence) and there is a specific way you order it. Tall black is regular cup of coffee, Flat white is regular cup of coffee with milk, and short black is espresso shot. We ate then went and got some chocolate (Australia makes kick as chocolate).
At this point I was feeling pretty tired so we went back to the house so I could take a nap. Sarah was working and Boone was gonna go run some errands while I zonked out in my room in my comfortable bed.
At around four I woke up and Boone said we were gonna wait for Sarah to get out from work and that we'll meet her on the beach with wine and strawberries. That's right, sparkling Shirah and strawberries on the beach while we watch the sunset. Don't hate me.
Then to close up the perfect first day. Boone and Sarah (more Sarah) made a delicious dinner of grilled lamb with Moroccon seasoning and fresh spinch - broccoli salad.
Oh yeah. I fell asleep happy, full, and dreaming about I would eat tomorrow.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
I'm here!!!!
OMG! It took forever! A total of 20 hours flying. Four hours to L.A., 6-hour layover (Thanks Alvarado's for the picking me up and gettin' lunch and some tourist time at Griffin Observatory), then a 15 hour flight from L.A. to New Zealand, then a three hour layover, then another 4 hours from New Zealand to Adelaide.
It's definitely exhausting. Anyway, I've already been around Adelaide but I'll be posting more later. Right now its morning and I'm going to the University with Sarah....more soon!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
My Luggage
Yup, that's my luggage. That's it. Nothing else.
So I leave in a few minutes from Austin.
The flight leaves at 11:40, arrives in L.A. at 12:50...and the New Zealand flight leaves at 9:30 pm...and arrives in NZ at 5:15 am Sept. 25, Thursday. Today is Sept. 23rd, Tuesday. So I'm traveling back to the future. I will skip over tomorrow before you even see tomorrow. Crazy.
So as we are turning into Fall here, it will be turning into Spring there. As far as the time difference, add 15.5 hours to whatever time it is right now and that will be Adelaide time. If you're on the East Coast, add 14.5 and if your in L.A. add 17.5 and as for Arizona...somewhere in between. Awesome!!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Briefing: Adelaide and Kangaroo Island
So, I've been getting most of my reference material from two sources: Frommer's Australia 2006 and Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country. Yeah, I know the travel guide is two years old but it was 7 bucks at Half Price Books. I'm pretty sure all the information in there is pretty relevant and I can verify things if I have to on "the internets." Mr. Bryson's book, if you've never read him (you should), is hilarious. However, as funny as it is, he does frequently mention that Australia is a death trap. In almost every chapter he stresses, with many a horrific story, that Australia is the most beautiful, friendliest, awesomeness country that can kill you. It doesn't want to. It just can. He lists, several times over in fact, that the most toxic animals known to man make their home Down Under. Snakes (10 most deadliest), spiders (lots of them), paralysis ticks (kinda worse than Lyme disease), sharks (who can forget), crocs (of course), stingrays (R.I.P. Steve), blue-ringed octopus (venom can kill 26 of you at once), cone shell (a freakin' seashell!), and box jellyfish (God hates you)... just to name a few. Even the travel guide says you should be "wary." I'm not really gonna focus on this 'cuz I really don't want this getting around to my mother. She's been on prayer overdrive since she found out I was going over there and she's not even aware of half of the above mentioned items. So I figure her daily conversations with God will pretty much cover me not running into nature's wicked side.
So about Adelaide...
It is in the state of South Australia and has over a 1 mill in population. It brags about being the only city where it was settled by free English settlers instead of convicts. It has lots of parks, cool museums, fantastic Victorian architecture, and when German immigrants made their way down there, they brought their love of wine and making it, with them. So the city is surrounded by vineyards...*sigh* It's things like this that make you forget Australia can kill you.
It also happens to be the sister city of Austin, so it was pretty hippy-ish back in the day.
Kangaroo Island is about 68 miles south of Australia in the Southern Ocean (my third ocean!), 97 miles long by 35 miles wide (I'm thinking as big as Dallas-Ft. Worth),and it is the BEST place to see native Australian animals in the wild...the cute ones that is. Like kangaroos, wallabies (like a roo), little penguins (13 inches!), bandicoots (like a rat), echidna (like a hedgehog), sea lions, and platypus. Now a platypus is venomous, but it can't really kill you. Maybe hurt you real bad, but that's better than killing you. The island was actually the first place to be settled in southern Australia by free settlers, but later pirates, deserters and other miscreants from various English, French and American ships soon crashed the party.
There are also Koalas on the island. Lots of 'em. Now they aren't exactly native to the island, but 18 were introduced in 1920. Well, by 1996 there were 4,000 of them and they almost ate themselves out of eucalyptus trees and into starvation. They couldn't really relocate them so to help put 'em out of their misery, the government thought it would be best to shoot these cuties to oblivion. Governments have really great ideas sometimes. There was an uproar of course so they decided instead to snip-snip the cuddlies until the population stabilizes. I'm guessing that's what Boone's friend, the Koala spotter, does. He's making sure the little buggers aren't getting it on making babies that will the disturb the delicate balance of Koalas on the island.
So that's where I'll be for the first week. I can't wait!
So about Adelaide...
It is in the state of South Australia and has over a 1 mill in population. It brags about being the only city where it was settled by free English settlers instead of convicts. It has lots of parks, cool museums, fantastic Victorian architecture, and when German immigrants made their way down there, they brought their love of wine and making it, with them. So the city is surrounded by vineyards...*sigh* It's things like this that make you forget Australia can kill you.
It also happens to be the sister city of Austin, so it was pretty hippy-ish back in the day.
Kangaroo Island is about 68 miles south of Australia in the Southern Ocean (my third ocean!), 97 miles long by 35 miles wide (I'm thinking as big as Dallas-Ft. Worth),and it is the BEST place to see native Australian animals in the wild...the cute ones that is. Like kangaroos, wallabies (like a roo), little penguins (13 inches!), bandicoots (like a rat), echidna (like a hedgehog), sea lions, and platypus. Now a platypus is venomous, but it can't really kill you. Maybe hurt you real bad, but that's better than killing you. The island was actually the first place to be settled in southern Australia by free settlers, but later pirates, deserters and other miscreants from various English, French and American ships soon crashed the party.
There are also Koalas on the island. Lots of 'em. Now they aren't exactly native to the island, but 18 were introduced in 1920. Well, by 1996 there were 4,000 of them and they almost ate themselves out of eucalyptus trees and into starvation. They couldn't really relocate them so to help put 'em out of their misery, the government thought it would be best to shoot these cuties to oblivion. Governments have really great ideas sometimes. There was an uproar of course so they decided instead to snip-snip the cuddlies until the population stabilizes. I'm guessing that's what Boone's friend, the Koala spotter, does. He's making sure the little buggers aren't getting it on making babies that will the disturb the delicate balance of Koalas on the island.
So that's where I'll be for the first week. I can't wait!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Almost There...the countdown continues
Okay so I've gotten my International Driver's Permit so that's good to go. It's a paper form with instructions and restrictions in almost every language.
I didn't read it. I figure the basic jist of it is "Don't speed," but it's not like I follow that recommendation in my own country anyway.
So next to do is do some research on Adelaide and Kangaroo Island, which is where I'll be spending the first week of my vacation. Most of y'all know that I'll be visiting Boone and his wife Sarah (check out their blog: www.bsblogworld.blogspot.com). Boone is an archaeology buddy that I worked with at PBS&J and then again at SWCA. He's good times and good people. He and Sarah are gonna be taking a week off while I visit because they are such wonderful hosts. They'll be showing me the sights around Adelaide and then we'll be camping on Kangaroo Island with some of their friends. One of which is a ...now this is for real...a professional Koala Bear spotter. Kick ass.
I'll be posting some info of the above places I'll be visiting for your reference. Just so I can edu-ma-cate y'all while I'm on this trip. And forgive me in advance if I nerd out too much...but as most of you know...I can't help it.
I didn't read it. I figure the basic jist of it is "Don't speed," but it's not like I follow that recommendation in my own country anyway.
So next to do is do some research on Adelaide and Kangaroo Island, which is where I'll be spending the first week of my vacation. Most of y'all know that I'll be visiting Boone and his wife Sarah (check out their blog: www.bsblogworld.blogspot.com). Boone is an archaeology buddy that I worked with at PBS&J and then again at SWCA. He's good times and good people. He and Sarah are gonna be taking a week off while I visit because they are such wonderful hosts. They'll be showing me the sights around Adelaide and then we'll be camping on Kangaroo Island with some of their friends. One of which is a ...now this is for real...a professional Koala Bear spotter. Kick ass.
I'll be posting some info of the above places I'll be visiting for your reference. Just so I can edu-ma-cate y'all while I'm on this trip. And forgive me in advance if I nerd out too much...but as most of you know...I can't help it.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Anticipation!!
This is my first official post on a blog....Yea!! I've decided to set one up so all my peeps can check out my travels on the Red Continent and my misadventures....which I guarantee there will be a few. As my dearest friends say...."The darndest things happen to Laura..."
I've yet to get my International Driver's Licence/Permit/Whatever from the AAA. Apparently, you can get one as long as you have a U.S. drivers licence which is quite scary considering they don't check your drivers record. Which actually works out perfectly for me since I doubt they'd give me a permit if they'd see my drivers record. Just imagine...me speeding on the wrong side of the road...good times!
Anyway, just test running this puppy out...I hope you guys enjoy!
I've yet to get my International Driver's Licence/Permit/Whatever from the AAA. Apparently, you can get one as long as you have a U.S. drivers licence which is quite scary considering they don't check your drivers record. Which actually works out perfectly for me since I doubt they'd give me a permit if they'd see my drivers record. Just imagine...me speeding on the wrong side of the road...good times!
Anyway, just test running this puppy out...I hope you guys enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)