Sunday, March 28, 2010
So, this weekend in our wonderful world, Paul and I stayed in Sydney to do the two things you must do whilst in Australia: see an opera at the Opera House and go see a game of footie.
Friday night was our gala at the opera and of course it was phenomenal. We spent the evening with a few friends from Bain named Leo, Alison, Christy, and Tess, all from the US save Christy who was from Hong Kong. We had what we thought were nose bleed seats since they were a pretty penny to get. However, the seating arrangement was so good, that we could see everything pretty well! Good start to the evening.
We saw the opera La Traviatta which is the Moulin Rouge story, set to Italian. The set was so magnificent and was on a turn table I believe. Either way, the first scene was at the woman's house, and it was beautifully furnished. Think Phantom of the Opera and you're there. Then, it went into a fall outdoor scene, where every once and a while, a leaf would fall from a tree! How very intricate in detail. Then, it went to another garish scene which then led into the last scene at the woman's house again, but this time stripped of all the furnishings. The lighting was so well done, at one point, it looked like the morning sun in the windows of that scene! I of course was beside myself in awe. I also loved that the opera was subtitled with a projection above the proscenium. Quite helpful. So, it was a lovely evening at the opera.
Saturday, Paul and I just chilled around all day, waiting for our Aussie Rule footie game. Apparently, Australia has it's own version of rugby, so it is not rugby per say. Rather, just Aussie rules. Imagine that, Australia having it's own rules. Anyway, we went to the Olympic Stadium where of course the Sydney Olympics were held. It was so much fun! I was able to follow footie much better than football. The guys were much leaner and not trying to build their weight up to the size of a freight train. It was Sydney Swans versus St. Kilda and all the fans were passionately screaming out for their respective team. We wore our red proudly to show our support for Sydney. Except our red wasn't quite the tint of red we needed...I suppose it is the thought that counts. I later bought a shirt for myself. Our seats were pretty cheap and super close to the action and we couldn't get over how much fun it was. Our newer friends thought so too and it was definitely a night to remember. I think we might go see another game.
As for the title of the blog, all of us were on our way back home by train when a couple of guys came up to us and just started chatting. The guy I thought looked like Hugh Laurie told me spot on where I was from due to my accent. I quote "You are not from the South, and you speak to carefully to be from California, so you must be from the Northeast!". Awesome. The other guy had was having a great conversation with everyone and was really funny. Yet he kept calling Paul Harry Potter. This made Paul feel he needed his hair cut. I couldn't stop laughing.
Sunday, haircut for Paul! Haha...we pretty much just went to Centennial Park and relaxed all day. So worth it. One thing I have always loved about cities are their parks. They do not beat Mother Nature's wonders at all, but they sure do like to try.
Short post I guess to balance out last week's post, so you can relax and just look at pictures! I have two albums up, Port Stephens and Kangaroo Island. Next week will be fabulous. Great Barrier Reef. Can't get any better!
Hope all is well. Love and miss everyone. Cheers!
Friday night was our gala at the opera and of course it was phenomenal. We spent the evening with a few friends from Bain named Leo, Alison, Christy, and Tess, all from the US save Christy who was from Hong Kong. We had what we thought were nose bleed seats since they were a pretty penny to get. However, the seating arrangement was so good, that we could see everything pretty well! Good start to the evening.
We saw the opera La Traviatta which is the Moulin Rouge story, set to Italian. The set was so magnificent and was on a turn table I believe. Either way, the first scene was at the woman's house, and it was beautifully furnished. Think Phantom of the Opera and you're there. Then, it went into a fall outdoor scene, where every once and a while, a leaf would fall from a tree! How very intricate in detail. Then, it went to another garish scene which then led into the last scene at the woman's house again, but this time stripped of all the furnishings. The lighting was so well done, at one point, it looked like the morning sun in the windows of that scene! I of course was beside myself in awe. I also loved that the opera was subtitled with a projection above the proscenium. Quite helpful. So, it was a lovely evening at the opera.
Saturday, Paul and I just chilled around all day, waiting for our Aussie Rule footie game. Apparently, Australia has it's own version of rugby, so it is not rugby per say. Rather, just Aussie rules. Imagine that, Australia having it's own rules. Anyway, we went to the Olympic Stadium where of course the Sydney Olympics were held. It was so much fun! I was able to follow footie much better than football. The guys were much leaner and not trying to build their weight up to the size of a freight train. It was Sydney Swans versus St. Kilda and all the fans were passionately screaming out for their respective team. We wore our red proudly to show our support for Sydney. Except our red wasn't quite the tint of red we needed...I suppose it is the thought that counts. I later bought a shirt for myself. Our seats were pretty cheap and super close to the action and we couldn't get over how much fun it was. Our newer friends thought so too and it was definitely a night to remember. I think we might go see another game.
As for the title of the blog, all of us were on our way back home by train when a couple of guys came up to us and just started chatting. The guy I thought looked like Hugh Laurie told me spot on where I was from due to my accent. I quote "You are not from the South, and you speak to carefully to be from California, so you must be from the Northeast!". Awesome. The other guy had was having a great conversation with everyone and was really funny. Yet he kept calling Paul Harry Potter. This made Paul feel he needed his hair cut. I couldn't stop laughing.
Sunday, haircut for Paul! Haha...we pretty much just went to Centennial Park and relaxed all day. So worth it. One thing I have always loved about cities are their parks. They do not beat Mother Nature's wonders at all, but they sure do like to try.
Short post I guess to balance out last week's post, so you can relax and just look at pictures! I have two albums up, Port Stephens and Kangaroo Island. Next week will be fabulous. Great Barrier Reef. Can't get any better!
Hope all is well. Love and miss everyone. Cheers!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Well, it's been another weekend in paradise! We keep having most excellent adventures and I always look forward to my cleaning days when I report back to you guys. It was quite a packed weekend with so many photos. Paul took more than 400! Alas, we must wait until we can post these pictures because we have run out of data usage. That's the most frustrating thing about Australia. For Internet, you pay for data instead of just the service. Dumb!!! Then again, I'm an Internet junkie, so maybe it is just as well I have to rein it in. Anyway, on to our weekend:
Saturday: There is a reason why in all our photos I look exhausted: I was. We woke up at around 5 AM to catch our 6:30 AM flight. Paul has slowly started to realize that I am not a morning person and has now decided to not talk to me unless I talk first. This is a very healthy step in our relationship 'cause I would kill him if he did.
So, we went off to Adelaide in South Australia and then drove to Cape Jervis to pick up the ferry to Kangaroo Island. We then went off to d'Estrees Bay which literally had no one on the beach. One thing about this island is that it so very sparsely populated. The largest town, Kingscote, had only two restaurants at night that worked. Talk about growing up isolated from everything!
After the bay, we went off to our accomodations, the Wildlife and Wave Cabins. It took us so long to get there because the road was not paved and on top of that it was rough going. We thought either the tires on our rental car would bust or the axle. We also weren't supposed to go offroading...oh well! These cabins boast not only a lovely view of the ocean, but a sea of kangaroos. And we were not disappointed. The sea of kangaroos was not false in any sense. We were so excited to be in a beautiful location.
One important animal we did see right before we got into the cabin: an echidna. I am going to post a picture of this creature because you have to see how awesome and cute it is. It is a monotreme, much like the platypus. Lays eggs like a reptile but gives milk like a mammal. We have had a list of animals to find in the wilds of Australia and echidna is now crossed off!
We have seen: kangaroos, koalas, echidna, possums, snakes, penguins, seals
Yet to see: Tasmanian devil, wombat, platypus, emu, crocodile
After settling in, we went off to Kingscote to go on a penguin tour. Kangaroo Island has a colony of Little Penguins, the world's smallest penguin. And they are! They were so precious, although we didn't get a good photo since it was at night and the pictures are all with a red light since penguins are uber-sensitive to white light and can be dazed for several hours if a light is flashed at them at night. The biologist affectionately called it the "red light district".
Then, it was off to bed...it took us two hours to get home. The rental car company advised us to not drive at night because all the wildlife comes out. It was a night filled with horror because all the roadkill we saw on the road in the afternoon...was being feasted on at night. It was disturbing and I'm sorry if I grossed you out. But you didn't have to see it. GROSS! Wallabies, possums, all of them were out there. Also, Australia's possums are not our possums...they are cute! But not while eating roadkill
Sunday: This is the day of so much fun, but we got so dirty at the same time! I guess the both go hand in hand. We got up early hoping to see the kangas all feeding. Nope. We guess they just like to come to the cabins at dusk to feed. But after brekkie (breakfast) we went off along the coast to take photos and enjoy the sunshine. We loved going down to the beach because the only way there is to go through some big rocks with little spaces. But the beach was breathtaking. I cannot wait to post these photos and have you all enjoy them as we enjoyed taking them.
Then, off to Paul's Place! This is a animal refuge center, with the same guy who ran our cabins...Paul! We waited patiently outside the gates when Paul came out and led us all in...or should I say herded us in with his loud voice encouraging us along. He was very much a Steve Irwin type of guy and we were so excited from the start. In the gate, we were surrounded by not only kangaroos, but a sheep, an alpaca, a goat, ducks and chickens, all swarming to be fed. But first, Paul asked who wanted to feed a kangaroo. Before anyone had a chance, he grabbed my arm, put my arms the way he wanted them and plopped a huge kangaroo on me with a bottle in hand! I was expecting a joey, but that worked too! After everyone passed around the "big baby" kangaroo, we were given the feed to give to everyone else in the pen. The word for these animals would be aggressive. Especially the sheep. He knew if he just could get his big head into the bucket, his weight would bring the whole thing down. He even climbed up on Paul (my Paul) to get to the bucket, and of course succeeded in his task. The sheep also had this one woman who had a purse that he liked. He kept rubbing himself on it. Then Paul (Steve Irwin Paul) laughed and told the woman to give the sheep "Sir Matt" a push. With that, Sir Matt headbutted the poor woman and then didn't have anything to do with her. The same woman nearly got clocked by a huge pinecone that hurt her ankle later on. If it hit her head, I'm sure she would have had a concussion.
Anyway, after feeding the big guys (Oh yeah, an alpaca did not like my Paul and kept spitting at him whenever he had the chance. I loved it), we went on to littler friends. I got to hold a little billby mouse (i think?), a dragon lizard, a baby possum and a joey!! Too cute. But the highlight of course, was koala holding. Koalas are not cuddly. They are in fact, scratchy. I got a nice gash on my shoulder from the koala's claw. But after the initial trauma of latching onto me, he was quite cute and seemed to like to chill with me. If it were up to me, I would be adopting the koala, the joey, and the baby possum. Buncombe needs some brothers and sisters! Later, in the aviary area, Paul (my Paul) had several emus eat off his head. Awesome.
After the exhilaration of Paul's Place, we went off to Flinder's Chase National Park. The attractions here were the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch. At first, we didn't think it would be interesting at all, but we are so glad we did it! Remarkable Rocks were indeed remarkable. They were just some rocks that had ended up on top of a dome and they were massive! Admirals Arch was by far Paul's favorite and I loved it too. We went down a boardwalk that took us close to seals and ended up in an arch with the most spectacular scene of rocks and water and seals! We then did a hike in Snake Lagoon. I know, it sounds like a death wish and we did come across a snake, but no worries! We avoided them all pretty well. The hike was a little difficult to maneuver with so many rocks, but it ended on the beach and the entire landscape was worth it. We got there right as the sun was setting and we could not stop saying "wow". Then we went home and ate some dinner :)
Monday: Paul had taken this day off and it was so nice to have an extra day to explore this little island so full of surprises. After we checked out of the cabin, we went down to see the seals at Seal Bay. These are a breed of seals on the endangered species list. We were able to get taken down to see them and we couldn't get enough of these guys! A pup waddled right up to us, squalking for his mother. To our dismay, that pup's mom may not have returned from fishing one day :(. So is the life of a seal I suppose.
After Seal Bay, we went off to Little Sahara, a part of the island that literally looks like a desert, with big sand dunes. It was pretty neat and a great way to close our weekend at Kangaroo Island.
I feel like this post was so long, but we did so much! It's hard to remember and type it all. We are so very fortunate to be here. We only have a couple months left here, yet it feels like we don't have enough time to see all that we want to see. Our goal is to go to every state in Australia, to say that we really and truly did see this wonderful country. If you ever decide to take a trip here, you need to dedicate at least six weeks because one week does not cut it. Not even close.
This weekend we are staying home for the first time in a month I think! We are going to an opera at the Opera house (yay for me!) and then on Saturday, attending a rugby match (yay for Paul!). Hopefully Paul can have some time to snooze though. Poor thing! He has just been on the go for so long. Oh well! He can sleep in the States. We miss all of you and hope you are enjoying yourselves. Let us know what has been going on and leave some comments!
Saturday: There is a reason why in all our photos I look exhausted: I was. We woke up at around 5 AM to catch our 6:30 AM flight. Paul has slowly started to realize that I am not a morning person and has now decided to not talk to me unless I talk first. This is a very healthy step in our relationship 'cause I would kill him if he did.
So, we went off to Adelaide in South Australia and then drove to Cape Jervis to pick up the ferry to Kangaroo Island. We then went off to d'Estrees Bay which literally had no one on the beach. One thing about this island is that it so very sparsely populated. The largest town, Kingscote, had only two restaurants at night that worked. Talk about growing up isolated from everything!
After the bay, we went off to our accomodations, the Wildlife and Wave Cabins. It took us so long to get there because the road was not paved and on top of that it was rough going. We thought either the tires on our rental car would bust or the axle. We also weren't supposed to go offroading...oh well! These cabins boast not only a lovely view of the ocean, but a sea of kangaroos. And we were not disappointed. The sea of kangaroos was not false in any sense. We were so excited to be in a beautiful location.
One important animal we did see right before we got into the cabin: an echidna. I am going to post a picture of this creature because you have to see how awesome and cute it is. It is a monotreme, much like the platypus. Lays eggs like a reptile but gives milk like a mammal. We have had a list of animals to find in the wilds of Australia and echidna is now crossed off!
We have seen: kangaroos, koalas, echidna, possums, snakes, penguins, seals
Yet to see: Tasmanian devil, wombat, platypus, emu, crocodile
After settling in, we went off to Kingscote to go on a penguin tour. Kangaroo Island has a colony of Little Penguins, the world's smallest penguin. And they are! They were so precious, although we didn't get a good photo since it was at night and the pictures are all with a red light since penguins are uber-sensitive to white light and can be dazed for several hours if a light is flashed at them at night. The biologist affectionately called it the "red light district".
Then, it was off to bed...it took us two hours to get home. The rental car company advised us to not drive at night because all the wildlife comes out. It was a night filled with horror because all the roadkill we saw on the road in the afternoon...was being feasted on at night. It was disturbing and I'm sorry if I grossed you out. But you didn't have to see it. GROSS! Wallabies, possums, all of them were out there. Also, Australia's possums are not our possums...they are cute! But not while eating roadkill
Sunday: This is the day of so much fun, but we got so dirty at the same time! I guess the both go hand in hand. We got up early hoping to see the kangas all feeding. Nope. We guess they just like to come to the cabins at dusk to feed. But after brekkie (breakfast) we went off along the coast to take photos and enjoy the sunshine. We loved going down to the beach because the only way there is to go through some big rocks with little spaces. But the beach was breathtaking. I cannot wait to post these photos and have you all enjoy them as we enjoyed taking them.
Then, off to Paul's Place! This is a animal refuge center, with the same guy who ran our cabins...Paul! We waited patiently outside the gates when Paul came out and led us all in...or should I say herded us in with his loud voice encouraging us along. He was very much a Steve Irwin type of guy and we were so excited from the start. In the gate, we were surrounded by not only kangaroos, but a sheep, an alpaca, a goat, ducks and chickens, all swarming to be fed. But first, Paul asked who wanted to feed a kangaroo. Before anyone had a chance, he grabbed my arm, put my arms the way he wanted them and plopped a huge kangaroo on me with a bottle in hand! I was expecting a joey, but that worked too! After everyone passed around the "big baby" kangaroo, we were given the feed to give to everyone else in the pen. The word for these animals would be aggressive. Especially the sheep. He knew if he just could get his big head into the bucket, his weight would bring the whole thing down. He even climbed up on Paul (my Paul) to get to the bucket, and of course succeeded in his task. The sheep also had this one woman who had a purse that he liked. He kept rubbing himself on it. Then Paul (Steve Irwin Paul) laughed and told the woman to give the sheep "Sir Matt" a push. With that, Sir Matt headbutted the poor woman and then didn't have anything to do with her. The same woman nearly got clocked by a huge pinecone that hurt her ankle later on. If it hit her head, I'm sure she would have had a concussion.
Anyway, after feeding the big guys (Oh yeah, an alpaca did not like my Paul and kept spitting at him whenever he had the chance. I loved it), we went on to littler friends. I got to hold a little billby mouse (i think?), a dragon lizard, a baby possum and a joey!! Too cute. But the highlight of course, was koala holding. Koalas are not cuddly. They are in fact, scratchy. I got a nice gash on my shoulder from the koala's claw. But after the initial trauma of latching onto me, he was quite cute and seemed to like to chill with me. If it were up to me, I would be adopting the koala, the joey, and the baby possum. Buncombe needs some brothers and sisters! Later, in the aviary area, Paul (my Paul) had several emus eat off his head. Awesome.
After the exhilaration of Paul's Place, we went off to Flinder's Chase National Park. The attractions here were the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch. At first, we didn't think it would be interesting at all, but we are so glad we did it! Remarkable Rocks were indeed remarkable. They were just some rocks that had ended up on top of a dome and they were massive! Admirals Arch was by far Paul's favorite and I loved it too. We went down a boardwalk that took us close to seals and ended up in an arch with the most spectacular scene of rocks and water and seals! We then did a hike in Snake Lagoon. I know, it sounds like a death wish and we did come across a snake, but no worries! We avoided them all pretty well. The hike was a little difficult to maneuver with so many rocks, but it ended on the beach and the entire landscape was worth it. We got there right as the sun was setting and we could not stop saying "wow". Then we went home and ate some dinner :)
Monday: Paul had taken this day off and it was so nice to have an extra day to explore this little island so full of surprises. After we checked out of the cabin, we went down to see the seals at Seal Bay. These are a breed of seals on the endangered species list. We were able to get taken down to see them and we couldn't get enough of these guys! A pup waddled right up to us, squalking for his mother. To our dismay, that pup's mom may not have returned from fishing one day :(. So is the life of a seal I suppose.
After Seal Bay, we went off to Little Sahara, a part of the island that literally looks like a desert, with big sand dunes. It was pretty neat and a great way to close our weekend at Kangaroo Island.
I feel like this post was so long, but we did so much! It's hard to remember and type it all. We are so very fortunate to be here. We only have a couple months left here, yet it feels like we don't have enough time to see all that we want to see. Our goal is to go to every state in Australia, to say that we really and truly did see this wonderful country. If you ever decide to take a trip here, you need to dedicate at least six weeks because one week does not cut it. Not even close.
This weekend we are staying home for the first time in a month I think! We are going to an opera at the Opera house (yay for me!) and then on Saturday, attending a rugby match (yay for Paul!). Hopefully Paul can have some time to snooze though. Poor thing! He has just been on the go for so long. Oh well! He can sleep in the States. We miss all of you and hope you are enjoying yourselves. Let us know what has been going on and leave some comments!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
G'day mates. How you going? That's always the question Aussies ask and I cannot seem to do it. Paul has been practicing his Aussie slang as of late and has incorporated "how you going?" to his vernacular. It seems impossible for me to see it either through habit from saying "how's it going" or from speech therapy classes. Whatever the reason, Aussie is not my style. But it suites Paul. Spellings are also quite different from the US. "Tyre" instead of "tire", "centre" instead of "center", using "c" when we use "s". All very new but not so strange. And the sign off line is always "cheers".
Anyway, enough with linguistics. Our weekend starts out on Friday at the Taste of Sydney festival. This was of course a festival with all sorts of restaurants featuring their wares and dishes. We went with a few friends from Paul's work and had a blast! Although we did think of it as a sort of scam. Not only was there an entrance fee, but you had to buy "crowns" or little vouchers in order to buy dishes or what have yous. So, you were forced to spend money. But it really didn't matter, we had fun with good friends. I also need to invest some time in taking pictures of our new friends so that you can see that yes we have made friends and that we are indeed having a blast. We just get lazy. We will soon since we will be soon going to an opera (La Traviotta) at the Sydney Opera House!!! Also, our friends will be attending a rugby game with us in 2 weeks. So plenty of opportunities.
Saturday, Paul and I went to Port Stephens by way of convertible. I'll tell you, if there is one car to have when you live at the beach, it is a convertible. It's so refreshing and we just relished it. Of course, it rained a little. I don't want you to get the idea that it has done nothing but rain here. On the contrary. During the week it is gorgeous weather. Sunny. Yet, it seems the weekends are made for rain. But we didn't care, and plus the rain was very intermittent.
So, here's the silly story. There is this place called Hunter Valley where supposedly world class wine is made. I wanted to go there and check out a winery just to say that I did and seeing that it was on the way, we didn't see any harm. So, I type the name into the GPS and click on the first name I see that seems to deal with Hunter Valley...We made it to a touring company that takes you to Hunter Valley, but yet, is not Hunter Valley...UGH! Needless to say, Paul got a big kick out of it and will not let me live it down. He's just soooooo funny. Luckily, it was not out of the way from Port Stephens, so we did not have to backtrack. But I must note to myself that GPS's are not reliable.
We checked into our bed and breakfast and found we were the only ones there for the weekend. Sweet! Bed and breakfasts have become our big thing now because we like the idea of being with locals who can give us such great recommendations to restaurants, activities, and you know they aren't just trying to sell you services, but want to see you have a great time. They are more familiar with the area than any hotel staff. Hostels are great too, but the idea of a breakfast in the morning made fresh to order instead of just a cup of cereal really does the trick. I am pretty sure that even if we did not have anything planned for our weekends, we could have asked our hosts and they would have been more than happy to tell us what they think is best. Yay for locals!
After a brief nap, Paul and I went for some sea kayaking! I have kayaked but Paul has not and now is considering buy us a couple of kayaks. Or at least plans on doing more in the future. Canoes are ok, but you have so much more control in a kayak. We enjoyed our time in the sea and even saw a Blue Penguin, the smallest penguin in the world! We got out on a beach, drank some sparkling wine given to us and then we walked around with some pelicans!
The Australian Pelican is the second largest in the world and is so hilarious. I think every animal in Australia has a certain kind of attitude where they feel they can be inquisitive and friendly because, what is that human gonna do? I can kill it! Seriously...Australia is home to the deadliest creature on Earth: the box jellyfish. Not kidding. People die from that thing. No worries though...they live more near Northern Territory. I will not be seeing them. I really really hope I never see them. But it's so funny 'cause kangaroos will let you come up and look at them, koalas don't care, and pelicans just want fish from you. Animals here really just can take care of themselves.
After our kayak fun, we asked our guide where was a good place to eat. He told us about The Pointe Restaurant which was really close to our B&B. What a great suggestion! This seafood restaurant is a hard find, but really is world class to me! We loved it! I would go back to eat there if I could. You could not have asked for better fish or scallops. Then off to bed we went!
Which was not as restful a night as we could have hoped. Not because our place was not hospitable or comfortable. But the kookaburras...were so loud!!! Either they were fighting each other, or with other birds that make a terrible sound but they were laughing and yelling all night long. I woke up a couple of times terrified that someone was getting murdered outside our window! The next morning our hosts laughed at that and then told us about the celebrity koala who hangs out the house and will get into the car with you if you leave the door open for him to climb in. Funny creatures.
On Sunday we went on a dolphin watching cruise and found a couple of pods. They were beautiful, but we did not see them for much longer. It was just nice to lay out on the boat and enjoy the company of each other.
Back on land, Paul tried to go snorkeling in the freezing water. We swore that when we were kayaking the day before the water was much warmer, but for some reason it seemed ice cold the next day. Too bad for us it was low tide and the water murky, so any snorkeling was to be a wasted effort. Oh well. Maybe next week at Kangaroo Island we will have better luck! Yup, next week is Kangaroo Island and we are excited to go to South Australia.
Well that was our weekend. I hope you all are enjoying the posts and the pictures. Not many pictures this week, the focus was more about relaxation than anything else. Nonetheless, hope you enjoy it!
Anyway, enough with linguistics. Our weekend starts out on Friday at the Taste of Sydney festival. This was of course a festival with all sorts of restaurants featuring their wares and dishes. We went with a few friends from Paul's work and had a blast! Although we did think of it as a sort of scam. Not only was there an entrance fee, but you had to buy "crowns" or little vouchers in order to buy dishes or what have yous. So, you were forced to spend money. But it really didn't matter, we had fun with good friends. I also need to invest some time in taking pictures of our new friends so that you can see that yes we have made friends and that we are indeed having a blast. We just get lazy. We will soon since we will be soon going to an opera (La Traviotta) at the Sydney Opera House!!! Also, our friends will be attending a rugby game with us in 2 weeks. So plenty of opportunities.
Saturday, Paul and I went to Port Stephens by way of convertible. I'll tell you, if there is one car to have when you live at the beach, it is a convertible. It's so refreshing and we just relished it. Of course, it rained a little. I don't want you to get the idea that it has done nothing but rain here. On the contrary. During the week it is gorgeous weather. Sunny. Yet, it seems the weekends are made for rain. But we didn't care, and plus the rain was very intermittent.
So, here's the silly story. There is this place called Hunter Valley where supposedly world class wine is made. I wanted to go there and check out a winery just to say that I did and seeing that it was on the way, we didn't see any harm. So, I type the name into the GPS and click on the first name I see that seems to deal with Hunter Valley...We made it to a touring company that takes you to Hunter Valley, but yet, is not Hunter Valley...UGH! Needless to say, Paul got a big kick out of it and will not let me live it down. He's just soooooo funny. Luckily, it was not out of the way from Port Stephens, so we did not have to backtrack. But I must note to myself that GPS's are not reliable.
We checked into our bed and breakfast and found we were the only ones there for the weekend. Sweet! Bed and breakfasts have become our big thing now because we like the idea of being with locals who can give us such great recommendations to restaurants, activities, and you know they aren't just trying to sell you services, but want to see you have a great time. They are more familiar with the area than any hotel staff. Hostels are great too, but the idea of a breakfast in the morning made fresh to order instead of just a cup of cereal really does the trick. I am pretty sure that even if we did not have anything planned for our weekends, we could have asked our hosts and they would have been more than happy to tell us what they think is best. Yay for locals!
After a brief nap, Paul and I went for some sea kayaking! I have kayaked but Paul has not and now is considering buy us a couple of kayaks. Or at least plans on doing more in the future. Canoes are ok, but you have so much more control in a kayak. We enjoyed our time in the sea and even saw a Blue Penguin, the smallest penguin in the world! We got out on a beach, drank some sparkling wine given to us and then we walked around with some pelicans!
The Australian Pelican is the second largest in the world and is so hilarious. I think every animal in Australia has a certain kind of attitude where they feel they can be inquisitive and friendly because, what is that human gonna do? I can kill it! Seriously...Australia is home to the deadliest creature on Earth: the box jellyfish. Not kidding. People die from that thing. No worries though...they live more near Northern Territory. I will not be seeing them. I really really hope I never see them. But it's so funny 'cause kangaroos will let you come up and look at them, koalas don't care, and pelicans just want fish from you. Animals here really just can take care of themselves.
After our kayak fun, we asked our guide where was a good place to eat. He told us about The Pointe Restaurant which was really close to our B&B. What a great suggestion! This seafood restaurant is a hard find, but really is world class to me! We loved it! I would go back to eat there if I could. You could not have asked for better fish or scallops. Then off to bed we went!
Which was not as restful a night as we could have hoped. Not because our place was not hospitable or comfortable. But the kookaburras...were so loud!!! Either they were fighting each other, or with other birds that make a terrible sound but they were laughing and yelling all night long. I woke up a couple of times terrified that someone was getting murdered outside our window! The next morning our hosts laughed at that and then told us about the celebrity koala who hangs out the house and will get into the car with you if you leave the door open for him to climb in. Funny creatures.
On Sunday we went on a dolphin watching cruise and found a couple of pods. They were beautiful, but we did not see them for much longer. It was just nice to lay out on the boat and enjoy the company of each other.
Back on land, Paul tried to go snorkeling in the freezing water. We swore that when we were kayaking the day before the water was much warmer, but for some reason it seemed ice cold the next day. Too bad for us it was low tide and the water murky, so any snorkeling was to be a wasted effort. Oh well. Maybe next week at Kangaroo Island we will have better luck! Yup, next week is Kangaroo Island and we are excited to go to South Australia.
Well that was our weekend. I hope you all are enjoying the posts and the pictures. Not many pictures this week, the focus was more about relaxation than anything else. Nonetheless, hope you enjoy it!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
I know, the title says it all, but I must explain the rest of our vacation, so please, be patient.
So, this weekend, Paul and I made the trip to the state of Victoria, one of the most southern states in Australia. Although it is south of us, we must remember that going south does not mean it will get warmer. In fact, it is equal to our going north. I did not remember this. Things are so backward here. Oh well, I didn't freeze, but it was a bit chilly.
On Friday, we both went down to Chinatown and had some grade A Chinese food. It was funny 'cause the restaurant had tanks of live fish and crabs. They were ginormous! Anyway, we took the airline Tiger to Melbourne (which is now an error we will not make twice) and then drove to Geelong (literally gee as in geezer- long). We stayed in Geelong and in the morning went out on the Great Ocean Road! It is a memorial to soldiers who have died in wars and I think it quite a splendid thing. The road stretch along the southern coast of Victoria from Torquay (surf capital) to Port Fairy (seals live there). From the Pacific Ocean, along the Southern Sea and to the Indian Ocean.
We drove to the town of Anglesea because we had heard of a golf course that has "a sea of kangaroos" grazing on the green. Of course, who wouldn't want to see that? Alas, no kangaroos were chilling that day but Paul and I did not wish to give up. So, we drove around the golf course in hopes to see some roos but just ended up in a nature reserve of some sort. We walked in a circle for a bit and just before we gave up hope, we saw them! A herd of kangaroos were jumping around to the other side of an open space! Nothing is more captivating than watching kangaroos hopping. We of course stalked them and took several photos and videos for your viewing pleasure.
So, Anglesea proved to be fortuitous...now off to Lorne for our wonderful lunch. Our original plans for this place was to go snorkeling. However, I don't know if you've felt an ocean that borders on Antartica as well, but the Southern Sea was freezing and in no way shape or form was I gonna even try to go in there. So, Lorne was just the place to eat. We then continued on to Apollo Bay. We stayed at a bed and breakfast there which gave us insights on where to find the koalas...I know...I can feel you getting excited...we're getting there.
However, our first adventure was to find...GLOW WORMS!@!!! You cannot believe how giddy I was to see some glow worms (insert giddy dancing and squealing). We stopped at Mait's Rest, which had a nice little path with huge, gigantic gum trees! You'll see them in the photos, and they just make you feel so small! Then, we made it to Melba Gully, which is a cool temperate rainforest. That was some scientific explanation for your science people out there. We had our dinner in the car (sandwiches) and waited for dark. As soon as it was dark, we hit the path and found the beautiful and glorious glow worms. They like to hang out on the walls of the path and in the pictures, they look like stars. I love glow worms. They are so romantic! Even in the rain, it was quite a unique sight.
Next day. Sunday we left our lodging quickly in the wee hours of the morn and headed to Cape Otway...for koalas. We scanned the trees with a fervor and I slowly felt a bit deflated since we had not seen one. Then, Paul spotted it. A beautiful koala all alone in a tree, looking miserable that we spotted her. I named her Kimmie. We jumped around and took too many pictures of her. Then we stopped for Theodore (Paul's koala) and took many more. Then, we found the koala equivalent of Buncombe (he was alone in a tree with absolutely no leaves...not smart Buncombe koala). Afterward, we just decided to count all the koalas we found. 21 in all!!! I know Chelsea's mom will be pleased with the spoils of this trip. They are too cute.
We left Cape Otway and ran off to the Twelve Apostles Park to see the rock formation. Supposedly, there are only 9 apostles left, but it was gorgeous. We also saw the Arch, Loch Arc Gorge, and then London Bridge...all huge rock formations. Just a fabulous day. But after visiting the Grotto, we had to return back to Melbourne to catch our 7:30 flight. It was very quick return since we took the inner road. Most of the country of Victoria is farm land and it is beautiful. It reminds me of a combination of the NC mountains and of NY farmland. Really just lovely and I loved just looking out the window at the rolling hills.
So, we make it back to Melbourne. Or shall I say we got Melbourne-d...haha. We made it to our airline at around 5...then the rain began. At 6:30, the Melbourne airport closed, which meant no planes were going to Sydney that night. The line literally wrapped around the building. Paul heavily considered taking a car and driving to Sydney although it would have taken 10 hours to do. Luckily, we got a ticket for the next day at 12 and we got a hotel room for the night. Very stressful end to a lovely weekend. But, we did have a very nice hotel stay and we stole all the Mentos they gave us!! Worth it!!!
Well, that precludes this entry on our fabulous adventure to Melbourne. We will probably have to return again since we didn't get a chance to see penguins or seals. But, over Easter weekend, we are very excited to announce that we are going sailing for 3 days around the Great Barrier Reef!!!!! I am so glad to be here.
Anyway, busy week ahead. Wednesday I have to go see about volunteering for the Red Cross and it is my friend Sarah's birthday. I am making her a cake, even though they do not have Cool Whip here...what kind of country is this? Oh yeah, I did finally try Vegemite. It is disgusting and tastes like tar. I'll bring some home for all to try. Well, hope all is well and I look forward to hearing from you all! Tschues!!!
So, this weekend, Paul and I made the trip to the state of Victoria, one of the most southern states in Australia. Although it is south of us, we must remember that going south does not mean it will get warmer. In fact, it is equal to our going north. I did not remember this. Things are so backward here. Oh well, I didn't freeze, but it was a bit chilly.
On Friday, we both went down to Chinatown and had some grade A Chinese food. It was funny 'cause the restaurant had tanks of live fish and crabs. They were ginormous! Anyway, we took the airline Tiger to Melbourne (which is now an error we will not make twice) and then drove to Geelong (literally gee as in geezer- long). We stayed in Geelong and in the morning went out on the Great Ocean Road! It is a memorial to soldiers who have died in wars and I think it quite a splendid thing. The road stretch along the southern coast of Victoria from Torquay (surf capital) to Port Fairy (seals live there). From the Pacific Ocean, along the Southern Sea and to the Indian Ocean.
We drove to the town of Anglesea because we had heard of a golf course that has "a sea of kangaroos" grazing on the green. Of course, who wouldn't want to see that? Alas, no kangaroos were chilling that day but Paul and I did not wish to give up. So, we drove around the golf course in hopes to see some roos but just ended up in a nature reserve of some sort. We walked in a circle for a bit and just before we gave up hope, we saw them! A herd of kangaroos were jumping around to the other side of an open space! Nothing is more captivating than watching kangaroos hopping. We of course stalked them and took several photos and videos for your viewing pleasure.
So, Anglesea proved to be fortuitous...now off to Lorne for our wonderful lunch. Our original plans for this place was to go snorkeling. However, I don't know if you've felt an ocean that borders on Antartica as well, but the Southern Sea was freezing and in no way shape or form was I gonna even try to go in there. So, Lorne was just the place to eat. We then continued on to Apollo Bay. We stayed at a bed and breakfast there which gave us insights on where to find the koalas...I know...I can feel you getting excited...we're getting there.
However, our first adventure was to find...GLOW WORMS!@!!! You cannot believe how giddy I was to see some glow worms (insert giddy dancing and squealing). We stopped at Mait's Rest, which had a nice little path with huge, gigantic gum trees! You'll see them in the photos, and they just make you feel so small! Then, we made it to Melba Gully, which is a cool temperate rainforest. That was some scientific explanation for your science people out there. We had our dinner in the car (sandwiches) and waited for dark. As soon as it was dark, we hit the path and found the beautiful and glorious glow worms. They like to hang out on the walls of the path and in the pictures, they look like stars. I love glow worms. They are so romantic! Even in the rain, it was quite a unique sight.
Next day. Sunday we left our lodging quickly in the wee hours of the morn and headed to Cape Otway...for koalas. We scanned the trees with a fervor and I slowly felt a bit deflated since we had not seen one. Then, Paul spotted it. A beautiful koala all alone in a tree, looking miserable that we spotted her. I named her Kimmie. We jumped around and took too many pictures of her. Then we stopped for Theodore (Paul's koala) and took many more. Then, we found the koala equivalent of Buncombe (he was alone in a tree with absolutely no leaves...not smart Buncombe koala). Afterward, we just decided to count all the koalas we found. 21 in all!!! I know Chelsea's mom will be pleased with the spoils of this trip. They are too cute.
We left Cape Otway and ran off to the Twelve Apostles Park to see the rock formation. Supposedly, there are only 9 apostles left, but it was gorgeous. We also saw the Arch, Loch Arc Gorge, and then London Bridge...all huge rock formations. Just a fabulous day. But after visiting the Grotto, we had to return back to Melbourne to catch our 7:30 flight. It was very quick return since we took the inner road. Most of the country of Victoria is farm land and it is beautiful. It reminds me of a combination of the NC mountains and of NY farmland. Really just lovely and I loved just looking out the window at the rolling hills.
So, we make it back to Melbourne. Or shall I say we got Melbourne-d...haha. We made it to our airline at around 5...then the rain began. At 6:30, the Melbourne airport closed, which meant no planes were going to Sydney that night. The line literally wrapped around the building. Paul heavily considered taking a car and driving to Sydney although it would have taken 10 hours to do. Luckily, we got a ticket for the next day at 12 and we got a hotel room for the night. Very stressful end to a lovely weekend. But, we did have a very nice hotel stay and we stole all the Mentos they gave us!! Worth it!!!
Well, that precludes this entry on our fabulous adventure to Melbourne. We will probably have to return again since we didn't get a chance to see penguins or seals. But, over Easter weekend, we are very excited to announce that we are going sailing for 3 days around the Great Barrier Reef!!!!! I am so glad to be here.
Anyway, busy week ahead. Wednesday I have to go see about volunteering for the Red Cross and it is my friend Sarah's birthday. I am making her a cake, even though they do not have Cool Whip here...what kind of country is this? Oh yeah, I did finally try Vegemite. It is disgusting and tastes like tar. I'll bring some home for all to try. Well, hope all is well and I look forward to hearing from you all! Tschues!!!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Ok, so, Paul has been reading a book called Down Under by Bill Bryson and we have been learning a few things that we thought you should know (it's a really funny and good book and we recommend it). Last weekend in the Blue Mountains, we came upon this brown snake that seemed harmless enough. Later, one of Paul's co-workers told him that she had "never heard of a brown snake in Australia that couldn't kill you".
The top ten most poisonous snakes in the world, all belong to Australia. Spiders as well are highly dangerous and if you get bit by any, you should probably seek medical attention. Anyway, we thought we would let you guys ponder that whilst we were here :). Here's a picture of the snake we saw:
The top ten most poisonous snakes in the world, all belong to Australia. Spiders as well are highly dangerous and if you get bit by any, you should probably seek medical attention. Anyway, we thought we would let you guys ponder that whilst we were here :). Here's a picture of the snake we saw:
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