Hey everyone,
We've had an amazing time in Fiji. The people are so welcoming and nice. The islands are very relaxing and beautiful. It's like the caribbean without the huge amounts of people and pools and swim up bars (although that's pretty convenient). We did some scuba diving, snorkeling...Ed got hit by a dinghy, but he's fine, and lots of relaxing. We'll be home in negative one hour (we gain a day on the way back). We'll talk with everyone soon!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Airlie Beach
We took a twelve hour train ride from Cairns to Airlie Beach. On our first day here, we took a sailboat out to the famous White Haven Beach in the Whitsunday Islands. Although it was fun sailing, it was cloudy and White Haven Beach didn't look like anything special. In addition, we were only there for an hour and a half so we couldn't explore any of the cool parts of the island because sailing took so long. We did see a humpback whale on the way back which was pretty cool.
The following day we took another boat trip out to the Whitsundays. This time we got to scuba diving three times. The coral was bright and colorful, there were lots of fish, and we saw a shark! We also saw huge sea turtles and really big fish. On the boat ride out, we saw some dolphins. Our divemaster was really good this time and pointed out lots of things underwater.
We're off to Brisbane in a few hours and then on to Fiji in two days.
The following day we took another boat trip out to the Whitsundays. This time we got to scuba diving three times. The coral was bright and colorful, there were lots of fish, and we saw a shark! We also saw huge sea turtles and really big fish. On the boat ride out, we saw some dolphins. Our divemaster was really good this time and pointed out lots of things underwater.
We're off to Brisbane in a few hours and then on to Fiji in two days.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Cairns
We arrived in Cairns and pulled up to our bed and breakfast at night. We stayed in the Cairns Rainforest Bed and Breakfast in a nearby suburb. This bed and breakfast has one of the nicest settings we have seen. The house is gorgeous. The backyard has waterfalls forming deep swimming holes in the middle of the rainforest. They also have a pool for our use. The house has several decks with outdoor dining options. It was nice with the windows open, with a nice temperature, listening to the waterfall and animals of the rainforest while sleeping...it was like listening to one of those nature cds live. Our room was really nice too with beautiful wood floors, a big jacuzzi lined with stone.
The first day, we went scuba diving. The boat ride out left early and was very rocky because it was windy and little rainy out in addition to being in a small boat. It took 90 minutes to get to the outer reef and about a quarter or more of the 100 people got sick, although not us. We went on our first dive. We got in no problem, but the one lady with us lost her flipper right away. We waited for her while looking around under the water. During the dive, we saw a lot of fish, but not as many as we were expecting. The coral was huge...50 feet straight up where we were diving. The colors were vivid and lots of fish were in the anemones (like Nemo). We wondered what the guides spoke about before Nemo came out because they loved to talk about this fish! The dive was forty minutes and there was a decent current we swam into when we were finishing, which made us feel a little sea sick. We were definitely spoiled in Texas because our guide there was awesome. This guide was fine, but didn't point anything out to us, except for Nemo. We then ate lunch, watched the marine biologist feed the fish, and then geared up for our second dive. This time we got on a smaller boat that took us further out and we dove again. The lady couldn't descend this time, so we swam around for about 5-10 minutes in the general area under the water looking at everything. She had actually gotten left behind on a different tour the day before...which is a definite no no in scuba, but more understandable after we saw her dive. During the second dive, we saw a small lagoon ray, many bright colored fish, more coral, and a turtle. Unfortunately, it's hard to describe things, especially since we can't tell a goldfish from a baracuda. We headed back to the boat after this. The boat ride back to Cairns was a little less rocky and less people got sick. We had ice cream and Thai food for dinner, in that order. We then headed back to the B n B and went to sleep.
The second day we woke up at 5 to go white water rafting in Tully, which is two hours away. It was a misty, overcast day, but still warm. On the way up, we passed lots of banana fields and sugar cane farms. There were rain forest covered mountains with mist on both sides of the valley when we arrived. We split into different groups for the rafting. There were 8 boats of 6 people. Our guide was pretty experienced and seemed to be in charge of the others. We went through the grade 4 rapids first, without flipping...even when we tried to flip on purpose. Although really fun, the first half of the trip consisted of us waiting for the other boats to go through. We went through 10 rapids in 2 hours. Right before lunch, he took us through a cold waterfall where we were hammered with water. We then ate lunch (hamburgers, sausage, veggie sandwiches) and started the next half of the trip, which was much nicer as we didn't have to wait as much. We went through many smaller rapids and kept moving. It was a fun trip.
On the bus ride home, we got to watch videos of crashes and flips from previous trips, which was pretty fun. We grabbed some pizza for dinner and came back to the BnB and lounged around.
This morning, we are exploring Cairns. We're taking a twelve hour train trip tomorrow to Airlie Beach. The rental cars didn't work out so off to the train we go. We only have one week left in Australia.
The first day, we went scuba diving. The boat ride out left early and was very rocky because it was windy and little rainy out in addition to being in a small boat. It took 90 minutes to get to the outer reef and about a quarter or more of the 100 people got sick, although not us. We went on our first dive. We got in no problem, but the one lady with us lost her flipper right away. We waited for her while looking around under the water. During the dive, we saw a lot of fish, but not as many as we were expecting. The coral was huge...50 feet straight up where we were diving. The colors were vivid and lots of fish were in the anemones (like Nemo). We wondered what the guides spoke about before Nemo came out because they loved to talk about this fish! The dive was forty minutes and there was a decent current we swam into when we were finishing, which made us feel a little sea sick. We were definitely spoiled in Texas because our guide there was awesome. This guide was fine, but didn't point anything out to us, except for Nemo. We then ate lunch, watched the marine biologist feed the fish, and then geared up for our second dive. This time we got on a smaller boat that took us further out and we dove again. The lady couldn't descend this time, so we swam around for about 5-10 minutes in the general area under the water looking at everything. She had actually gotten left behind on a different tour the day before...which is a definite no no in scuba, but more understandable after we saw her dive. During the second dive, we saw a small lagoon ray, many bright colored fish, more coral, and a turtle. Unfortunately, it's hard to describe things, especially since we can't tell a goldfish from a baracuda. We headed back to the boat after this. The boat ride back to Cairns was a little less rocky and less people got sick. We had ice cream and Thai food for dinner, in that order. We then headed back to the B n B and went to sleep.
The second day we woke up at 5 to go white water rafting in Tully, which is two hours away. It was a misty, overcast day, but still warm. On the way up, we passed lots of banana fields and sugar cane farms. There were rain forest covered mountains with mist on both sides of the valley when we arrived. We split into different groups for the rafting. There were 8 boats of 6 people. Our guide was pretty experienced and seemed to be in charge of the others. We went through the grade 4 rapids first, without flipping...even when we tried to flip on purpose. Although really fun, the first half of the trip consisted of us waiting for the other boats to go through. We went through 10 rapids in 2 hours. Right before lunch, he took us through a cold waterfall where we were hammered with water. We then ate lunch (hamburgers, sausage, veggie sandwiches) and started the next half of the trip, which was much nicer as we didn't have to wait as much. We went through many smaller rapids and kept moving. It was a fun trip.
On the bus ride home, we got to watch videos of crashes and flips from previous trips, which was pretty fun. We grabbed some pizza for dinner and came back to the BnB and lounged around.
This morning, we are exploring Cairns. We're taking a twelve hour train trip tomorrow to Airlie Beach. The rental cars didn't work out so off to the train we go. We only have one week left in Australia.
Funniest Story Ever
When we were by the campfire, a Spanish guy from up near Barcelona told us a story. He and his friends were at a bachelor party for their first friend who was getting married. He got hammered and they put his leg in a real cast (I guess they knew a doctor or something). They convinced the groom his leg was broken, he assumed he forgot all that. He got married with the cast on. After that, he went on the honeymoon with the cast on as well. Then when he got back from the trip, they told him he didn't really break his leg. The guy also had friends that got put on a 4 hour train ride naked, handcuffed to the seat. Another friend knew a cop and they put a guy in jail for 2 days, interrogating him about a night he couldn't remember. He is getting married soon and understandably worried.
Uluru (Ayers Rock)
We flew from Melbourne to Alice Springs in the Outback and stayed in a hostel called Annie's Place. Despite some recent reports saying there were bed bugs, we didn't have a problem besides Jeanette not being able to sleep all night as she was scared she would be bitten...apparently you can see them and we checked the entire day. Alice Springs was interesting...a town in the middle of nowhere that had KFC, Subway, K-Mart, etc. We probably don't need to return there, but it was interesting to see. There were some homeless Aborigines, which was sad to see...the most homeless people we had seen in Australia.
We left bright and early the next morning on a three day, two night tour to Uluru. We went on the Mulgas tour, which was lots of fun. The first day was mostly driving the six hours it took to get there, but we did stop for a hike in King's Canyon. We also were able to watch the sunset over Uluru. During the drive, we stopped along the side of the road and picked up some poisonous melons. We then proceeded (in teams of 4 or 5) to throw the melons out the bus window while driving at posts or signs. Jeanette hit a small white post worth two points and Ed didn't hit anything. One of the two Irish girls on our team hit a sign worth one point. We then set up our mugs in the back of the bus and bowled the remaining melons while the bus was driving. It was lots of fun. After watching the sunset, we spotted a couple in the road who was flagging us down. All the people on the bus (19 including our tour guide, Halley) got off and helped push their camper van back to the road as it was stuck in the dirt pretty far off the road. With all the people we had, it was relatively easy to push out. The couple wasn't the brightest to drive their non-four wheel drive camper that far off the road in the middle of nowhere. When we arrived at our campsite, Halley realized three of our swags had been stolen while we watched the sunset. That was a real bummer since there were only a few other cars where we watched the sunset. Luckily for all of us on the tour, she had packed a few extra swags and we all got one. Unfortunately for Halley, there wasn't enough for her. Once we arrived at the campsite, we tore down dead trees and started a huge bonfire. Halley cooked dinner, which consisted of pasta with vegetarian bolognese (more like chili) for Jeanette and added camel to the sauce for the non vegetarians...Ed. He thought it tasted just like beef. We slept under the stars, which were brilliant in the sky. It was quite cold...like 25 degrees outside. We were fairly warm with the fire, sleeping bag, and swag, but the wind could get cold on your face.
We woke up early the next morning and hiked two different hikes totaling 16 kilometers for the day. We first hiked the Olgas, which were mountains near the rock that were created in a similar way. We then had lunch at the cultural center and began our walk around the base of Uluru...the world's largest monolith. No one climbed it because it was too windy, but Ed and I weren't going to climb it anyway due to respect of the Aboriginal people who request that you don't climb their sacred site. We also watched the sunset, which turned the rock a bright red. We had dinner consisting green curry chicken. Jeanette had rice and cheese. While we were there, buses of people were brought in. They had paid $800 to watch the sunset and have dinner. We paid $250 for three days including meals, campsites, admission, etc. After the sunset, we returned to our campsite, tore down some more dead trees, and started our fire. We toasted marshmallows, which were flavored. Most people went to bed around 8, but we stayed up until about 11 talking to people.
The next morning was a little warmer, possibly 40 degrees, and we watched the sunrise over Uluru again. It was extremely windy, so we stayed inside the bus for most of it. One thing we noticed was the desert had lots of trees and some grass. Although it doesn't rain there frequently, the trees have roots reaching far underground where there is a huge supply of water.
Halley dropped Ed and I off at a really nice hostel/resort (YHA, but with a fancy name) while everyone else continued on to Alice Springs for their flight. We were able to shower, eat, relax, and do laundry in the time that it took them to drive back. We caught a free shuttle to the airport and flew to Cairns.
We left bright and early the next morning on a three day, two night tour to Uluru. We went on the Mulgas tour, which was lots of fun. The first day was mostly driving the six hours it took to get there, but we did stop for a hike in King's Canyon. We also were able to watch the sunset over Uluru. During the drive, we stopped along the side of the road and picked up some poisonous melons. We then proceeded (in teams of 4 or 5) to throw the melons out the bus window while driving at posts or signs. Jeanette hit a small white post worth two points and Ed didn't hit anything. One of the two Irish girls on our team hit a sign worth one point. We then set up our mugs in the back of the bus and bowled the remaining melons while the bus was driving. It was lots of fun. After watching the sunset, we spotted a couple in the road who was flagging us down. All the people on the bus (19 including our tour guide, Halley) got off and helped push their camper van back to the road as it was stuck in the dirt pretty far off the road. With all the people we had, it was relatively easy to push out. The couple wasn't the brightest to drive their non-four wheel drive camper that far off the road in the middle of nowhere. When we arrived at our campsite, Halley realized three of our swags had been stolen while we watched the sunset. That was a real bummer since there were only a few other cars where we watched the sunset. Luckily for all of us on the tour, she had packed a few extra swags and we all got one. Unfortunately for Halley, there wasn't enough for her. Once we arrived at the campsite, we tore down dead trees and started a huge bonfire. Halley cooked dinner, which consisted of pasta with vegetarian bolognese (more like chili) for Jeanette and added camel to the sauce for the non vegetarians...Ed. He thought it tasted just like beef. We slept under the stars, which were brilliant in the sky. It was quite cold...like 25 degrees outside. We were fairly warm with the fire, sleeping bag, and swag, but the wind could get cold on your face.
We woke up early the next morning and hiked two different hikes totaling 16 kilometers for the day. We first hiked the Olgas, which were mountains near the rock that were created in a similar way. We then had lunch at the cultural center and began our walk around the base of Uluru...the world's largest monolith. No one climbed it because it was too windy, but Ed and I weren't going to climb it anyway due to respect of the Aboriginal people who request that you don't climb their sacred site. We also watched the sunset, which turned the rock a bright red. We had dinner consisting green curry chicken. Jeanette had rice and cheese. While we were there, buses of people were brought in. They had paid $800 to watch the sunset and have dinner. We paid $250 for three days including meals, campsites, admission, etc. After the sunset, we returned to our campsite, tore down some more dead trees, and started our fire. We toasted marshmallows, which were flavored. Most people went to bed around 8, but we stayed up until about 11 talking to people.
The next morning was a little warmer, possibly 40 degrees, and we watched the sunrise over Uluru again. It was extremely windy, so we stayed inside the bus for most of it. One thing we noticed was the desert had lots of trees and some grass. Although it doesn't rain there frequently, the trees have roots reaching far underground where there is a huge supply of water.
Halley dropped Ed and I off at a really nice hostel/resort (YHA, but with a fancy name) while everyone else continued on to Alice Springs for their flight. We were able to shower, eat, relax, and do laundry in the time that it took them to drive back. We caught a free shuttle to the airport and flew to Cairns.
Happy Birthday July Edition
Happy birthday to all of our firends that have July birthdays. Luckily, we are on the computer today which is Jason's birthday. Also happy birthday to Steve and Chrissy. Hope you all (y'all for Jason) had great birthdays!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Melbourne
We arrived in Melbourne after driving all day on the Great Ocean Road. Without much energy and noticing everything in our section was starting to close down for the evening, we decided to go to a movie...Hancock. Yay...popcorn for dinner.
The next day, we didn't have much of a plan. We walked around and looked at different buildings in different sections of town. The buildings are really nice, fairly European in style. We tried to get tickets to Wicked and a circus to no avail, and then headed to the dome to watch the rising stars under 18 play Aussie rules football. It was pretty nice out, and we enjoyed watching them play. They don't wear pads, either punch or kick the ball to each other, and tackle each other. It looks like fun. We then got lunch, then walked around the shopping districts.
The following day, we walked to the market. This market had both clothing, both touristy and not (definitely less touristy than Sydney), and food. We enjoyed the market...especially Ed's bratwurst. We also walked around a lot of gardens and around the Melbourne Museum. We figured we had enough museums, so we didn't go in this one. Melbourne seems to be more of a city to live in, rather than visit doing touristy stuff. There aren't a ton of museums, but has lots of nice buildings. We ate dinner at a local brewery where Ed had a couple of pints and kangaroo filet and Jeanette had a chicken and cheese sandwich. It was nice to have good beer for a change, since most of the beer Ed has had so far in Australia is about as good as a Budweiser.
Today, we walked around the Royal Botanical Gardens, which were really nice despite it being winter. It was still really green, just not too many flowers. There is also a drought going on in Australia so there are water restrictions, which means most of the fountains were turned off. We went back to the market for lunch and dessert. We both had baked potatoes and donuts while Ed also had another brat.
We fly out to Alice Springs tomorrow and will be sleeping outside in the desert...we heard it's really cold - below freezing at night. Fun!!!
The next day, we didn't have much of a plan. We walked around and looked at different buildings in different sections of town. The buildings are really nice, fairly European in style. We tried to get tickets to Wicked and a circus to no avail, and then headed to the dome to watch the rising stars under 18 play Aussie rules football. It was pretty nice out, and we enjoyed watching them play. They don't wear pads, either punch or kick the ball to each other, and tackle each other. It looks like fun. We then got lunch, then walked around the shopping districts.
The following day, we walked to the market. This market had both clothing, both touristy and not (definitely less touristy than Sydney), and food. We enjoyed the market...especially Ed's bratwurst. We also walked around a lot of gardens and around the Melbourne Museum. We figured we had enough museums, so we didn't go in this one. Melbourne seems to be more of a city to live in, rather than visit doing touristy stuff. There aren't a ton of museums, but has lots of nice buildings. We ate dinner at a local brewery where Ed had a couple of pints and kangaroo filet and Jeanette had a chicken and cheese sandwich. It was nice to have good beer for a change, since most of the beer Ed has had so far in Australia is about as good as a Budweiser.
Today, we walked around the Royal Botanical Gardens, which were really nice despite it being winter. It was still really green, just not too many flowers. There is also a drought going on in Australia so there are water restrictions, which means most of the fountains were turned off. We went back to the market for lunch and dessert. We both had baked potatoes and donuts while Ed also had another brat.
We fly out to Alice Springs tomorrow and will be sleeping outside in the desert...we heard it's really cold - below freezing at night. Fun!!!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Great Ocean Road
After our tour to Kangaroo Island, we picked up our rental car the next day to begin our two day journey driving along the Great Ocean Road. Ed drove the first day from Adelaide to Warrnambool and it poured pretty much the entire day. Luckily, this was the day that there wasn't anything to see. Ed pictured this as driving through Kansas, but way worse. We did stop in a cute town at the end, Warrnambool. We did, however, choose to eat the worst restaurant in town...but we guess that's what $10 steaks will get you.
Jeanette drove the second day, and despite a little rain early in the morning, it cleared up for the rest of the day. We drove close to the ocean, saw the many sites to see including the Twelve Apostles, the arches, and some shipwrecks. We stopped in a quaint coastal town and ate some lunch. We arrived in Melbourne by 4:00.
Jeanette drove the second day, and despite a little rain early in the morning, it cleared up for the rest of the day. We drove close to the ocean, saw the many sites to see including the Twelve Apostles, the arches, and some shipwrecks. We stopped in a quaint coastal town and ate some lunch. We arrived in Melbourne by 4:00.
Adelaide and Kangaroo Island
We flew from Sydney to Adelaide, in South Australia, on July 5th. We arrived quite early in the morning as our flight left Sydney at 6 am. Once arriving in the airport, we noticed there was a half hour time change, so it was even earlier than expected. Luckily, once we went to our hotel to have them hold our luggage, they stated our room was ready. We put our stuff away and started exploring the city.
Although not large, Adelaide was quite charming. We went to the Adelaide market, which was probably the best market we've been to. It had tons of fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, etc. We then walked to the Royal Botanical Gardens, which are supposed to be the nicest in the country. It was huge. There were lots of eucalyptus trees, flowers, water gardens, desert gardens, etc. Because the market was so good, we walked back across town to eat lunch at the market and to pick up breakfast for the next morning. We walked through the outdoor mall, Rundle Mall, which had very few, if any, souvenir shops that we could find...which was nice. It did have a side street with lots of strip clubs and adult clubs, which Ed really enjoyed (just kidding).
The next morning, we woke up at 5:30 and got ready for our tour to Kangaroo Island, which was 6:15 am to 10:45 pm. We took a bus for two and a half hours to the ferry. No one told us that the ferry was going to be incredibly rocky. People and dogs were getting sick like crazy. The whole boat stunk of puke and there were countless numbers of vomit bags in the garbage when we disembarked. Luckily, we didn't get sick. Once we got off the ferry, we went straight onto another bus for the next half hour. Our first stop was a beach where there were sea lions everywhere. The colony consisted of approximately 600 sea lions. There were lots of pups too and they were very active...running, rolling, and whatnot. We then drove to grab a quick lunch and then saw a "birds of prey" show. There was a barn owl that ate a whole mouse, a spotted owl that ate an even bigger mouse, a wedged tail eagle that ate a huge rabbit leg, and a sea eagle that ate a fish. We drove on the bus for a while more and we saw the Remarkable Rocks. Unfortunately, we don't have time to upload the pictures right now as we are doing everything in internet cafes. We then headed to a lighthouse and an arch and saw a whole bunch of seals. And yes, we saw many kangaroos while driving around, dead and alive. In fact, our bus almost hit one. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we weren't able to see the koalas, although we saw one get run over the next day. The ferry ride back was a little less rocky, but people still got sick. If we were to go again, or if anyone plans on going there, definitely stay there more than one day. It was too rushed doing everything on the bus in one day, and there was a lot to see.
Although not large, Adelaide was quite charming. We went to the Adelaide market, which was probably the best market we've been to. It had tons of fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, etc. We then walked to the Royal Botanical Gardens, which are supposed to be the nicest in the country. It was huge. There were lots of eucalyptus trees, flowers, water gardens, desert gardens, etc. Because the market was so good, we walked back across town to eat lunch at the market and to pick up breakfast for the next morning. We walked through the outdoor mall, Rundle Mall, which had very few, if any, souvenir shops that we could find...which was nice. It did have a side street with lots of strip clubs and adult clubs, which Ed really enjoyed (just kidding).
The next morning, we woke up at 5:30 and got ready for our tour to Kangaroo Island, which was 6:15 am to 10:45 pm. We took a bus for two and a half hours to the ferry. No one told us that the ferry was going to be incredibly rocky. People and dogs were getting sick like crazy. The whole boat stunk of puke and there were countless numbers of vomit bags in the garbage when we disembarked. Luckily, we didn't get sick. Once we got off the ferry, we went straight onto another bus for the next half hour. Our first stop was a beach where there were sea lions everywhere. The colony consisted of approximately 600 sea lions. There were lots of pups too and they were very active...running, rolling, and whatnot. We then drove to grab a quick lunch and then saw a "birds of prey" show. There was a barn owl that ate a whole mouse, a spotted owl that ate an even bigger mouse, a wedged tail eagle that ate a huge rabbit leg, and a sea eagle that ate a fish. We drove on the bus for a while more and we saw the Remarkable Rocks. Unfortunately, we don't have time to upload the pictures right now as we are doing everything in internet cafes. We then headed to a lighthouse and an arch and saw a whole bunch of seals. And yes, we saw many kangaroos while driving around, dead and alive. In fact, our bus almost hit one. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we weren't able to see the koalas, although we saw one get run over the next day. The ferry ride back was a little less rocky, but people still got sick. If we were to go again, or if anyone plans on going there, definitely stay there more than one day. It was too rushed doing everything on the bus in one day, and there was a lot to see.
Sydney
We had a great time in Sydney. The harbor is great. We walked around a ton as there is so much to see and the weather was nice, except for the last day. We felt like we could have easily spent a full week there, if not more, and still had plenty to do. We walked around the royal botanical gardens, went to two shows at the Sydney Opera House (a magic show and the Mahler I symphony), went to the aquarium, walked around both Sydney and Darling Harbors, and visited the Blue Mountains.
The Blue Mountains are about a two hour train ride from Central Sydney. We took a cable car with a glass bottom over a 1200 foot or so gorge. Then, we took the steepest train ride in the world (or so they said) 53 degrees to the bottom. We then hiked around and saw some waterfalls and rainforests. This is where the Three Sisters were located. We then took a gondola straight up from the bottom to the top of the mountain. Once there, Ed had a buffet consisting of kangaroo stir fry, crocodile and seafood paella, lamb, and steak. He also ate lots of tiramisu and trife (a cake with raspberry in it) for dessert. Jeanette, who is not an adventerous eater in the least, opted for a chicken parmesan wrap.
On our last day in Sydney, it rained. We went to the Australia Museum, where they had a whole floor of rocks and gems and another floor dedicated to dinosaurs and extinct marsupials...Jason's dream. There was also some information on Aborogines, who were treated very badly through the 1970s...the government legally removed kids from the home and put them into foster care or institutions, where they were supposed to forget their culture. They also made them work and took all their money. Luckily, they've tried to reunite families recently and have started treating them with more respect...although New Zealand seemed to respect their Maori culture a lot more.
The Blue Mountains are about a two hour train ride from Central Sydney. We took a cable car with a glass bottom over a 1200 foot or so gorge. Then, we took the steepest train ride in the world (or so they said) 53 degrees to the bottom. We then hiked around and saw some waterfalls and rainforests. This is where the Three Sisters were located. We then took a gondola straight up from the bottom to the top of the mountain. Once there, Ed had a buffet consisting of kangaroo stir fry, crocodile and seafood paella, lamb, and steak. He also ate lots of tiramisu and trife (a cake with raspberry in it) for dessert. Jeanette, who is not an adventerous eater in the least, opted for a chicken parmesan wrap.
On our last day in Sydney, it rained. We went to the Australia Museum, where they had a whole floor of rocks and gems and another floor dedicated to dinosaurs and extinct marsupials...Jason's dream. There was also some information on Aborogines, who were treated very badly through the 1970s...the government legally removed kids from the home and put them into foster care or institutions, where they were supposed to forget their culture. They also made them work and took all their money. Luckily, they've tried to reunite families recently and have started treating them with more respect...although New Zealand seemed to respect their Maori culture a lot more.
Happy Birthday Lolly
Sorry we couldn't be there for your birthday, but we hope you have a great day. Hopefully my Mom will show you this on the 9th. Happy Birthday!!!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Happy Fourth of July
Happy Fourth of July everyone. We hope that everyone is enjoying their extended weekend. It's actually July 5th over here. We celebrated the fourth by attending a symphony, Mahler I, at the Sydney opera house. It was a great experience.
We left Syndey this morning and landed in Adelaide. Adelaide is nice...not as touristy as Sydney, which is nice for a change. We are headed to a place called Kangaroo Island tomorrow...there are supposed to be lots of animals there so hopefully we will see some kangaroos and koalas.
After that, we are off to Melbourne. We'll write more updates then.
We left Syndey this morning and landed in Adelaide. Adelaide is nice...not as touristy as Sydney, which is nice for a change. We are headed to a place called Kangaroo Island tomorrow...there are supposed to be lots of animals there so hopefully we will see some kangaroos and koalas.
After that, we are off to Melbourne. We'll write more updates then.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Sydney
We made it to Sydney without any trouble. Sydney is a beautiful city and the weather has been great. It's probably in the mid 60s with lots of sunshine and lots of wind...perfect for walking around and exploring. We walked through Victoria Park yesterday, which had lots of parrots in the trees. We also walked over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was a bit scary for us being that we're both scared of heights, but not too bad. We didn't do the bridge climb because it was super windy and expensive. We ended our day by catching a show at the Sydney Opera House...nothing too exciting. We saw a magic show put on by two guys from the Netherlands. It was okay. We actually figured out one of their tricks. There are five performing arts venues in the opera house, and our show was in one of the smaller ones in the basement. However, we are going to see a symphony on Friday night in one of the main two concert halls...that should be fun.
Today, we walked around Darling Harbour, went to the aquarium, and walked some more. The aquarium was really good with tunnels under the seal and shark areas. Tomorrow, we are headed off to the nearby Blue Mountains to hike around. Friday, we might go to one of the nearby beaches. We leave for Adelaide very early Saturday morning.
Sydney is probably one of our favorite cities on the trip so far. Although it's big, the main area is very accessible and is beautiful.
Today, we walked around Darling Harbour, went to the aquarium, and walked some more. The aquarium was really good with tunnels under the seal and shark areas. Tomorrow, we are headed off to the nearby Blue Mountains to hike around. Friday, we might go to one of the nearby beaches. We leave for Adelaide very early Saturday morning.
Sydney is probably one of our favorite cities on the trip so far. Although it's big, the main area is very accessible and is beautiful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
