August 20, 2009
Got up this morning, knowing that I had to leave Cairns. Didn't sleep well, knowing that it was my last night in a room to myself in a tropical paradise. eh, got up at about 6:45... finished packing and went down to put my stuff into storage while I went back up to Kuranda for one last hurrah.. I got the bus without a problem.. the bus was only $4 each way... hmm.. and three days prior I spent $93 to get up to Kuranda... eh.. guess you learn these things along the way. Though, I think that the skyrail and scenic train were worth the extra money, they really made the trip to Kuranda. in any case, got up to Kuranda, some stuff was just opening. I went to see the bat hospital, but it was closed, so I took a picture as well as I could from the gate. I didn't go down the rain forest trail like the other day, as I didn't have the time.. I wanted to re-trace my steps as best as possible to get the pictures I'd lost. So I went to the Koala lady and the kind soul that she is, pitied me, and let me go in to the park to quickly grab a few pictures. I didn't get one of the baby boy koala, he was too tightly curled into his mum, but I did get some other pictures while I was in there.
I then went to the Kangaroo Fur lady.. she was great too.. she let me take pictures of the Roocycling... scrotum items.. and g-strings.. she was fun, but I had to keep going. I wanted to visit the artist that really touched me and wanted to buy a piece, alas, when I got to the store, it was still closed. So I ended up walking around for a bit (still closed) grabbing a meat pie for brunch and having to catch the bus back to Cairns in time to catch my ride to the airport. All went well, the plane was so full that some of us ended up in the seats for premiere class (without the service of course) but at least the seats were comfortable and we had more leg room. I had an aisle seat and 3 of us in the row. It was a lovely couple who had just finished a tour of the northern tip of Queensland... quite lovely people. We talked about travelling, Aussie movie stars.... my dearest darling Hugh Jackman.. mmm! lol
Plane landed, it was 5:30ish... was dark by the time I got out of the airport, caught a bus into town, then waited at a station for a tram to my hostel. While I was waiting there.. I saw a young guy sit down on the bench and thought I'd check with him on the price and if I could pay the driver cash or if I needed a ticket. He told me I could ride for free... I just had to follow him.. He had a horribly strong accent.. Turns out he was Irish and travelling about Australia for almost the last year. He told me that he spent about $8000 in 6 weeks in Sydney.. by the sounds of his stories.. it was mostly spent in the pubs.. lol.. he was now working here in Melbourne (past 6 months) to make up a bit of money to move on. He and another gentleman helped me to get off at the right stop and I made it to the hostel.
The hostel seems ok so far. I'm across the hall from reception and out my window I can hear the sounds of the kitchen. I'm still waiting for my roommates.. they're supposed to arrive tonight and it's already 10:20pm...
I went out for dinner.. of which I was a bit trepidatious...I'm in a strange city, at night, in the dark, all alone, walking the streets... hmm.. eh, well I found a nice little internet cafe.. spent $2 on a half hour then found a nice little italian restaurant that was filled to the brim (figured it had to be good) dinner .. a plate of Prosciutto Penne and a tea came up to $16. Not a bad meal. I walked a little further and found a 7-11 and bought some groceries. Walked around the corner only to find a grocery store. sigh. oh well. I want to do a bit of laundry and from what it looks like, it's $4 to wash, $2 to dry and $1 for soap. $7/load.. I may just end up doing some essentials...
Anyways, that's about it for now.. I'm tired and I may just watch an episode of Bones, or something... who knows.. I'm not sure if they all made it onto my iPod.. shoot darn!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Running around Cairns
G'Day Mate!
Just finishing up my last half hour in Cairns... Love the place, the people are just amazing.
I don't particularly have a great deal of time to tell you all that I've been up to the past 5 days, but I have been keeping notes on the little Netbook I've got... I'll get those up as soon as I can.. Maybe in Melbourne.
What I did want to mention though is the kindness of the people up here in Cairns. My tour guides have been outstanding, and even in Kuranda... can't ask for better. I'll give you a few examples of their hospitality. I had an amazing day in Kuranda two days ago, the skyrail up over the rainforest canopy is outstanding. Then, once in Kuranda, I saw an ad for cuddling with a koala for $15! BEAUTIFUL! so I ran up and got my ticket and went over and cuddled with Hogan.. cute, eucalyptus smelling 30lb Koala. I also got to see a gorgeous little baby koala snuggled with his mom. I took tons of pictures. Even at lunch I took pictures of the newspaper (great story on the catamaran I went on having spotted whales and another on an elephant that was fitted with an artificial limb after having stepped on a landmine).. any case.. no one seemed to think I was strange.. or at least they kept their comments to themselves. :)
From there I went through the shops where I met a lovely lady with a great sense of humour selling kangaroo pelts in various items. I bought postcards from her and asked if I could take a picture of her Roocycling... (even using roo scrotums as pouches!) She even sold Roo G-strings.. lol.. she and I had a great laugh at all that.
Then later, after a rainforest walk, I took the scenic train back down to Cairns. I got seat 13, and had a great view all the way down the mountainside!
Any case.. long story short.. Got home to download all my pictures, I didn't flick the tiny switch to lock my little memory card and before I could blink or even touch a key... my entire card.. 1500 + pictures.. wiped out. My entire day was GONE. I was devastated.
I tried to get out of my tour yesterday.. couldn't do it. So.. I went back today.. for an hour.. (bus was $8 returen rather than $93 via skyrail and train)and met up with the koala lady who let me in to try and take a picture of the baby (no luck.. mom was hiding him) and the other lady with the roo fur also let me take more pictures!
GREAT people!
Well gotta run.. catch my plane!
Just finishing up my last half hour in Cairns... Love the place, the people are just amazing.
I don't particularly have a great deal of time to tell you all that I've been up to the past 5 days, but I have been keeping notes on the little Netbook I've got... I'll get those up as soon as I can.. Maybe in Melbourne.
What I did want to mention though is the kindness of the people up here in Cairns. My tour guides have been outstanding, and even in Kuranda... can't ask for better. I'll give you a few examples of their hospitality. I had an amazing day in Kuranda two days ago, the skyrail up over the rainforest canopy is outstanding. Then, once in Kuranda, I saw an ad for cuddling with a koala for $15! BEAUTIFUL! so I ran up and got my ticket and went over and cuddled with Hogan.. cute, eucalyptus smelling 30lb Koala. I also got to see a gorgeous little baby koala snuggled with his mom. I took tons of pictures. Even at lunch I took pictures of the newspaper (great story on the catamaran I went on having spotted whales and another on an elephant that was fitted with an artificial limb after having stepped on a landmine).. any case.. no one seemed to think I was strange.. or at least they kept their comments to themselves. :)
From there I went through the shops where I met a lovely lady with a great sense of humour selling kangaroo pelts in various items. I bought postcards from her and asked if I could take a picture of her Roocycling... (even using roo scrotums as pouches!) She even sold Roo G-strings.. lol.. she and I had a great laugh at all that.
Then later, after a rainforest walk, I took the scenic train back down to Cairns. I got seat 13, and had a great view all the way down the mountainside!
Any case.. long story short.. Got home to download all my pictures, I didn't flick the tiny switch to lock my little memory card and before I could blink or even touch a key... my entire card.. 1500 + pictures.. wiped out. My entire day was GONE. I was devastated.
I tried to get out of my tour yesterday.. couldn't do it. So.. I went back today.. for an hour.. (bus was $8 returen rather than $93 via skyrail and train)and met up with the koala lady who let me in to try and take a picture of the baby (no luck.. mom was hiding him) and the other lady with the roo fur also let me take more pictures!
GREAT people!
Well gotta run.. catch my plane!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Cairns: Tropical Paradise!
August 15, 2009 Cairns, North Queensland.
Cairns is a town that caters to tourists. The hostel I have chosen is quite beautiful and clean, so far. I have a lovely veranda off my room, I would recommend this place to anyone (so far) The staff, Candice, has been amazing. She brought me to my room, helped me out with using the phone (credit card blocked because it was used in a foreign country so I had to call to unblock it), with booking tours, with using the internet, she was very helpful.
I have booked myself in to do 4 excursions while I'm here, which all start painfully early! lol, I'll survive.. I hope!
I can't believe I have to leave here in 5 days to go to Melbourne where it's currently rather COLD. I can hardly bare how hot it is in my room ( which is why I'm currently flung in a cozy wicker chair on the veranda).
So here's the Cairns itinerary:
Sunday 16th: Pick up at 6:50am for Cape Tribulation and Daintree Safari. For $159 I will be spending the day in a rainforest habitat, getting a walk through a gorge, getting a 5 star buffet lunch, going to cape trib beach, doing a walk along a botanical boardwalk and then enjoying a river wildlife cruise to get back at about 6:30pm.
Monday 17th: Pick up at 7:30am for my Passions of Paradise Snorkel and sail out on the great barrier reef. I will be going on a catamaran with sails, full lunch and small group! be back home for about 5pm
Tuesday 18th: I will be doing a tour to Kuranda. I will be taking a skyrail cableway up to the hippie town full of quaint shops then the scenic train back down to be home for about 5pm. Kuranda is 328 meters up. The train must go through 15 tunnels, over 37 bridges, and around 98 curves.
Wednesday, 19th : I will be getting picked up at 8am to visit the falls and the forest. I'll get a guided tour of the rainforest, get to go for a swim in the falls... as the brochure says: we'll be walking, talking swimming, rocksliding, singing in waterfalls, floating in a volcanic crater lake, platypus spotting and enjoying a two course lunch and two snacks. I'll be getting home at about 8:30pm.
Sounds good? it does to me!!
Cairns is a town that caters to tourists. The hostel I have chosen is quite beautiful and clean, so far. I have a lovely veranda off my room, I would recommend this place to anyone (so far) The staff, Candice, has been amazing. She brought me to my room, helped me out with using the phone (credit card blocked because it was used in a foreign country so I had to call to unblock it), with booking tours, with using the internet, she was very helpful.
I have booked myself in to do 4 excursions while I'm here, which all start painfully early! lol, I'll survive.. I hope!
I can't believe I have to leave here in 5 days to go to Melbourne where it's currently rather COLD. I can hardly bare how hot it is in my room ( which is why I'm currently flung in a cozy wicker chair on the veranda).
So here's the Cairns itinerary:
Sunday 16th: Pick up at 6:50am for Cape Tribulation and Daintree Safari. For $159 I will be spending the day in a rainforest habitat, getting a walk through a gorge, getting a 5 star buffet lunch, going to cape trib beach, doing a walk along a botanical boardwalk and then enjoying a river wildlife cruise to get back at about 6:30pm.
Monday 17th: Pick up at 7:30am for my Passions of Paradise Snorkel and sail out on the great barrier reef. I will be going on a catamaran with sails, full lunch and small group! be back home for about 5pm
Tuesday 18th: I will be doing a tour to Kuranda. I will be taking a skyrail cableway up to the hippie town full of quaint shops then the scenic train back down to be home for about 5pm. Kuranda is 328 meters up. The train must go through 15 tunnels, over 37 bridges, and around 98 curves.
Wednesday, 19th : I will be getting picked up at 8am to visit the falls and the forest. I'll get a guided tour of the rainforest, get to go for a swim in the falls... as the brochure says: we'll be walking, talking swimming, rocksliding, singing in waterfalls, floating in a volcanic crater lake, platypus spotting and enjoying a two course lunch and two snacks. I'll be getting home at about 8:30pm.
Sounds good? it does to me!!
fun-loving Aussies!
well here I am at another airport, waiting for another flight.
For this blog, I'd like to comment on Aussie hospitality. It is VERY early on Saturday morning, and I was kindly dropped off by Jo, lady of the House. (guess she lost the coin toss).
She and Damien treated me last night to a good 'ol Aussie bbq. What a laugh. I got to meet more of the “locals” lol, had a great time. They have a tendency to “take the piss” of their “mates” and from what I was told by some of the guests, that it is particularly traditional to heavily “take the piss” of the host. So dear Damien really got a few good ribbings. Many were in regards to his “lazy work week” or his favourite “footy” team in Adelaide (who won their match that night thank you very much!)
Everyone was lively, warm and fun. His one mate was from Perth, and so we talked about where I was staying, what I was doing and where I should go and visit. Another friend is a paramedic and was telling us over dinner about the fright her daughter caused, ending up in a coma, and the only reason they could find was that her salt levels in her blood were too low. (don't usually find that to be a problem in Canada). She fully recovered, but it was quite the story.
I've not really met anyone who hasn't been the picture of kindness and hospitality (well, other than the one lady at the hostel in Sydney... but I don't count her.. I think she had a pickle in a very uncomfortable place) Everyone else has been smiles and helpful.
Damien and Jo were fabulous in trying to explain Aussie to me. If you're coming to visit, don't be fooled into thinking that they speak English here. Far from it, mate, they speak Aussie.
It really is a language all on its own. The best way to explain how to speak Aussie is to find the shortest way possible to say anything. All words are shortened. Footy is Football, G'Day is Good Day, Freo is Freemantle, even Aussie is Australian. So if you can find a way to shorten a word, or give it another name altogether, you're well on you way to speaking Aussie. Note: There are regional differences: Take a bathing suit, now I don't remember which region calls them which but they can be called bathers, cossies, or even togs ( where that comes from is a bit of a mystery).
They do have a few sayings that are similar to those in Britain (though don't tell the aussies that they have something similar to the “poms”) First is Taking the Piss, other, they have lifts, not elevators, they have boots and not trunks in their cars. If anyone can tell me why brits are called Poms, that would be quite helpful.
Speaking of finding out the meaning behind words, I taught the bbq group the meaning behind “flipping someone the bird” (which of course comes from excellent archers having their first two fingers cut off when their side lost in battle and the winning side “taking the piss” out of them by showing them their own fingers, still intact.
In any case, I am learning quite a bit about local culture and am having a wonderful time discovering Australia.
For this blog, I'd like to comment on Aussie hospitality. It is VERY early on Saturday morning, and I was kindly dropped off by Jo, lady of the House. (guess she lost the coin toss).
She and Damien treated me last night to a good 'ol Aussie bbq. What a laugh. I got to meet more of the “locals” lol, had a great time. They have a tendency to “take the piss” of their “mates” and from what I was told by some of the guests, that it is particularly traditional to heavily “take the piss” of the host. So dear Damien really got a few good ribbings. Many were in regards to his “lazy work week” or his favourite “footy” team in Adelaide (who won their match that night thank you very much!)
Everyone was lively, warm and fun. His one mate was from Perth, and so we talked about where I was staying, what I was doing and where I should go and visit. Another friend is a paramedic and was telling us over dinner about the fright her daughter caused, ending up in a coma, and the only reason they could find was that her salt levels in her blood were too low. (don't usually find that to be a problem in Canada). She fully recovered, but it was quite the story.
I've not really met anyone who hasn't been the picture of kindness and hospitality (well, other than the one lady at the hostel in Sydney... but I don't count her.. I think she had a pickle in a very uncomfortable place) Everyone else has been smiles and helpful.
Damien and Jo were fabulous in trying to explain Aussie to me. If you're coming to visit, don't be fooled into thinking that they speak English here. Far from it, mate, they speak Aussie.
It really is a language all on its own. The best way to explain how to speak Aussie is to find the shortest way possible to say anything. All words are shortened. Footy is Football, G'Day is Good Day, Freo is Freemantle, even Aussie is Australian. So if you can find a way to shorten a word, or give it another name altogether, you're well on you way to speaking Aussie. Note: There are regional differences: Take a bathing suit, now I don't remember which region calls them which but they can be called bathers, cossies, or even togs ( where that comes from is a bit of a mystery).
They do have a few sayings that are similar to those in Britain (though don't tell the aussies that they have something similar to the “poms”) First is Taking the Piss, other, they have lifts, not elevators, they have boots and not trunks in their cars. If anyone can tell me why brits are called Poms, that would be quite helpful.
Speaking of finding out the meaning behind words, I taught the bbq group the meaning behind “flipping someone the bird” (which of course comes from excellent archers having their first two fingers cut off when their side lost in battle and the winning side “taking the piss” out of them by showing them their own fingers, still intact.
In any case, I am learning quite a bit about local culture and am having a wonderful time discovering Australia.
Brisbane: lovely weather, lovely people
Brisbane.
The weather is fantastic, the people are great, and other than the car parks (also known as the motorways) the city is also great.
We headed out for a city tour on Thursday morning, doing a hop on hop off tour. The bus also included city cat tickets for the day which is the river ļ¼£atamaran service to get people across the river. (not many bridges completed just yet, so the quaint city cats are the way to go if you're on foot).
We rode up to Mount Coot-Tha to get a great panorama of the city and surrounds. We had lunch, where I tried a local fish, but it was battered, so it just tasted like regular fish and chips. Damien got me to try an Aussie wine, a Shiraz, though I can't remember what brand. It was quite lovely, though he had to help me finish it off.
From there we descended into the city and caught a Cat which brought us to the South Bank. What a great place. It's a fabulous park in the middle of town with flowered walkways, play area for the kids, a man-made beach, a pool and the best kids wet play park I've ever seen. Jordan and Paris had a great time splashing about!
We then had to go home and get ready for The Great Outback Spectacular dinner-show. Now let me tell you, if you're in Brisbane, I'd have to say, that's a MUST DO.
The show reminds me of something that you'd probably see in Calgary. Everyone was wearing checkered shirts and they give you a cowboy hat (well local version) at the door with either a yellow or red band around it. That's to know which station you're rooting for. So you get in, they give you your hat then you proceed to get your picture taken with it. There is then a souvenir shop full of the typical stuff. Once you get around that it's like walking into a barn/tavern. There are photos of the outback all over the walls with bits and pieces of outback gear hanging. The lighting is from wagon wheel chandeliers, and there's someone on a raised stage singing outback songs along one side. Along the other side is a really long bar where there were already many people bellying up. Along the far wall were 4 stalls with some of the show horses in them. We weren't allowed to pet them, but we could stand in front and get our picture taken with them. So, once we were done with the pre-show, we were able to take our seats. There isn't a bad seat in the house. It looks like stadium seating, in the way that we're all facing the arena, but it's more like getting a movie theatre chair and sitting at a breakfast bar. Our salads were already there waiting for us.. SCRUMPTIOUS! I've been itching for greens since I left and this was just what the doctor ordered! once that was eaten, the show started. The show was about life out on a station in the outback. The horses were just great. The best equivalent I can give them would be to our RCMP musical ride. They were dancing and jumping and .. it was just a beautiful sight. Then after a bit, we were served our main course of steak, potatoes, green beans, carrots and I think it was either pumpkin or squash. Very tasty meal. While we ate, they sang Waltzing Matilda and recounted a poem. It was great. Dessert was pure sugar, I swear it was, and Jo, sitting beside me concurred, it was a thing called a pavlova I believe... a type of meringue with some kind of cream toping and fruit coulis over top. Being the kind guest, I managed to put it all in ;) Then for the grand finale where it was audience participation and alas, our side lost, and it was the other side's station that won for best station that night.
The next day was at the Australia Zoo, that's the zoo put together by the late, great, Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter.
I feel that it was extremely well done, we were able to get up close and personal with the animals. I got to pet a kangaroo, a koala, a wombat and feed an elephant... twice! They had a demonstration in a stadium called the crocoseum where we got to see some of the birds, snakes and of course, a crocodile. I think that of all the animals, I think I'd want to take a wombat home. they're about the size of a small pig, or raccoon, cute as anything and soft and more lively than the koalas. In any case, it's a great way to spend the day.
It was from the zoo that we went back home for a barbie (pronounced BAH-bee). Damien cooked up some roo saussage for me to try. They were tasty, seemed like any other saussage you'd eat. I have to admit though, it felt a bit odd eating roo after having gone to a zoo to pet them.
Great time, and now off to Cairns (pronounced CANS).
The weather is fantastic, the people are great, and other than the car parks (also known as the motorways) the city is also great.
We headed out for a city tour on Thursday morning, doing a hop on hop off tour. The bus also included city cat tickets for the day which is the river ļ¼£atamaran service to get people across the river. (not many bridges completed just yet, so the quaint city cats are the way to go if you're on foot).
We rode up to Mount Coot-Tha to get a great panorama of the city and surrounds. We had lunch, where I tried a local fish, but it was battered, so it just tasted like regular fish and chips. Damien got me to try an Aussie wine, a Shiraz, though I can't remember what brand. It was quite lovely, though he had to help me finish it off.
From there we descended into the city and caught a Cat which brought us to the South Bank. What a great place. It's a fabulous park in the middle of town with flowered walkways, play area for the kids, a man-made beach, a pool and the best kids wet play park I've ever seen. Jordan and Paris had a great time splashing about!
We then had to go home and get ready for The Great Outback Spectacular dinner-show. Now let me tell you, if you're in Brisbane, I'd have to say, that's a MUST DO.
The show reminds me of something that you'd probably see in Calgary. Everyone was wearing checkered shirts and they give you a cowboy hat (well local version) at the door with either a yellow or red band around it. That's to know which station you're rooting for. So you get in, they give you your hat then you proceed to get your picture taken with it. There is then a souvenir shop full of the typical stuff. Once you get around that it's like walking into a barn/tavern. There are photos of the outback all over the walls with bits and pieces of outback gear hanging. The lighting is from wagon wheel chandeliers, and there's someone on a raised stage singing outback songs along one side. Along the other side is a really long bar where there were already many people bellying up. Along the far wall were 4 stalls with some of the show horses in them. We weren't allowed to pet them, but we could stand in front and get our picture taken with them. So, once we were done with the pre-show, we were able to take our seats. There isn't a bad seat in the house. It looks like stadium seating, in the way that we're all facing the arena, but it's more like getting a movie theatre chair and sitting at a breakfast bar. Our salads were already there waiting for us.. SCRUMPTIOUS! I've been itching for greens since I left and this was just what the doctor ordered! once that was eaten, the show started. The show was about life out on a station in the outback. The horses were just great. The best equivalent I can give them would be to our RCMP musical ride. They were dancing and jumping and .. it was just a beautiful sight. Then after a bit, we were served our main course of steak, potatoes, green beans, carrots and I think it was either pumpkin or squash. Very tasty meal. While we ate, they sang Waltzing Matilda and recounted a poem. It was great. Dessert was pure sugar, I swear it was, and Jo, sitting beside me concurred, it was a thing called a pavlova I believe... a type of meringue with some kind of cream toping and fruit coulis over top. Being the kind guest, I managed to put it all in ;) Then for the grand finale where it was audience participation and alas, our side lost, and it was the other side's station that won for best station that night.
The next day was at the Australia Zoo, that's the zoo put together by the late, great, Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter.
I feel that it was extremely well done, we were able to get up close and personal with the animals. I got to pet a kangaroo, a koala, a wombat and feed an elephant... twice! They had a demonstration in a stadium called the crocoseum where we got to see some of the birds, snakes and of course, a crocodile. I think that of all the animals, I think I'd want to take a wombat home. they're about the size of a small pig, or raccoon, cute as anything and soft and more lively than the koalas. In any case, it's a great way to spend the day.
It was from the zoo that we went back home for a barbie (pronounced BAH-bee). Damien cooked up some roo saussage for me to try. They were tasty, seemed like any other saussage you'd eat. I have to admit though, it felt a bit odd eating roo after having gone to a zoo to pet them.
Great time, and now off to Cairns (pronounced CANS).
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Finishing off in Sydney
what did I last write.. I think it was 2 days ago...
Well, my travels have been relatively good so far...
On Monday, I was going to meet up with Michelle, MJ's friend, but it turned out that Tuesday was better for her. So I chose to explore more of the downtown area of Sydney on Monday instead.
I got up, freezing in the hostel, they have no heat.. why would you have heat in the winter I wonder? lol anyways... they did have a lot of hot water, for which I was extremely grateful. I was able to wash my hair without any difficulties and the hairdryer I bought at the Paddy market the day before worked wonderfully. What I did notice upon getting out of the shower was that during the night, some beast or bug of some sort had quite a feast... at my expense. I found about a dozen or so red welts on my torso. Thankfully, they don't itch. Didn't really entice me to get back into bed that night, that's for sure.
So after getting dressed, and having breakfast, I headed off to William St which crosses downtown quite well. I saw the big Coca Cola sign that Kings Cross is known for (among other less savoury things) and proceeded to the St Mary's Cathedral.. lovely, as far as cathedrals go, it has a wooden ceiling and lovely artwork and stained glass windows. From there I visited the Australia Museum that was across the street. That is a great museum, there are dinosaurs, skeletons of all sorts of animals, including humans, and stuffed everything... koalas, dingos, kangaroos, ... and the great part is that you get to pet everything. Koalas didn't seem to be as soft as you'd think... Kangaroos are apparently softer than you'd think..
it was an interesting museum and I took lots of pictures. Speaking of pictures, I had a bit of an unfortunate incident, in that I wanted to keep the photos that were already on the camera before my trip, there were pictures of mom, grandma, Sydney... so, I'm a bit upset that some kind of glitch erased all of them. I'm now hesitant to try and empty my memory card...
Continuing on my trek, I passed through Hyde Park (much smaller than that of London.. but lovely none the less). I continued to Darling Harbour for Lunch and bought an IMAX ticket to see a 3D “under the sea” show for later that evening (5pm) I still intended to go onto the maritime museum as they had a submarine, a warship and a replica of the Endeavor that were perched in the harbour. Concession tickets are just wonderful. I really am glad I went to Kitchener to get my international student ID card. Very Helpful. On a side note, while I was walking along I strangely felt like I was in Downtown Toronto... (other than all the cars going the wrong way!!) oh, and the fact that I was walking by Maseratti, Ferrari, Porche and Lamborghini dealerships... man, was I ever drooling at the windows.. I didn't dare enter.. just left a bit of saliva on the windows.. :) The dealerships were different than what I remember back home.. they were a showroom on the main floor of a building, not a car lot.. I guess with cars like that.. it's an “on order” only.
Back to the Maritime Museum, the submarine was my first stop. Man alive.. mom and dad.. you would never have made it through.. there was hardly any head or hip room.. standing in the hallway, both my hips were touching the respective sides. the bunks were in the hallways and the “heads” were smaller than our pantry back home, and that included the shower!
from there I visited the Warship, which was great, though there were guns, a captain's chair and more room than on the submarine. From there I made my way to Captain Cook's Endeavor, the ship with which he landed and “discovered” Australia. The below decks were extremely tight.. the space from floor to ceiling in one bit of the ship was less than 4 ft... very squishy. (and that's where the officers got.. you can imagine the poor seamen) it was a lovely ship, full of very helpful volunteers who told the historical stories.. I really liked this museum, very customer oriented, friendly and extremely knowledgeable staff. Speaking of which, when I went to go into the “actual” museum, I was offered my own personal guide to teach me and show me around!! how fantastic... a personally guided tour.. for free! so he was a great man, he has a daughter in law I think that is Canadian, from North of Edmonton I think. He explained the significance of lots of things, (and the cost of some of their artifacts) they have a bowl that is worth millions, and a coin that was etched by a convict worth nearly a million. in any case.. it was fascinating. From the lovely tour, I had to rush to get to the IMAX at the other end of the harbour. The cost for a popcorn and pop was $10 and the IMAX ticket (discounted for my being a student) was $16.50. My museums were about the same price put together!
The movie was good. A nice way to relax after a full day on my feet. After the movie, (oh they used the old fashioned 3D glasses, not the nice sunglasses type that we have back home. so I just took the city train back to the hostel where I figured I'd get in, and finish up writing about my day, since it was only about 6:30 when I got back.
So I thought.
What the front desk failed to mention to me that morning when I spoke with them, is that they change their door code every Monday. So, I left, not knowing that the code I had was no longer valid. I tried it in vain, rather unsuccessfully. I was stuck in a doorway locked out at 6:30 at night in winter when it's already dark out in an unsavoury neighbourhood. needless to say... it was a very lonely moment. I just sat on the door step with a newspaper waiting for someone to either come in or go out of the hostel. Thankfully, one of their maintenance staff, aptly named Arcangelo (arch angel) came to my rescue and let me in.
Alas, this dear sweet man (who had studied to become a Franciscan monk) kind of became rather sweet on me. I had things to do but was too thankful to him to just run off to my room. So he and I talked till 9pm.
The next day, I had to be up at 7am to check out of the hostel (they would be closed when I wanted to leave) and get the right city train to get to Michelle. That was pretty good. I'd initially got on the wrong train, but luckly I was able to catch the right one at the next stop.
Michelle.. was just fabulous. She and Patrick, her 8 year old son were such wonderful tour guides.
We were a bit worried about the weather first off, but things cleared up by mid-day. We first went off to visit the THREE SISTERS... a rock formation with a lovely story behind it about a magical man who turned three sisters into stone all around a romance with three brothers I think... something of a romeo and juliet X3. Any case.. I would suggest looking that bit up if you're interested.
We then did Scenic World (think that's the name.. not handy at the moment) we went down the RED DEVIL.. I'm not making that bit up at all.. it's this BEAST that you sit in and it goes down the mountain at a peak of 52 degrees! it's STEEP! that was exciting, and I video taped our descent. Then we were able to walk around the boardwalk and found out neat information about the mines that were in the mountain. We went back up a Funiculaire of sorts with a lovely view.
From there I think we went on for Fish and Chips. In Australia they have the option of using something called Chicken Salt on their chips, the man let me have a taste, it reminds me of chicken bouillon. Eh, I went for the traditional salt. After lunch we drove about a bit. Michelle was so gracious, I'd see a lovely vista and she'd pull over the side of the road to let me snap a picture! Overall, I'd say anyone who visits Sydney, I strongly suggest to visit the Blue Mountains.
We got back home in time for dinner, the food was delicious.. Apricot Chicken and a type of pasta bake that was equally yummy!
What wasn't so good.. was my FIRST TASTE of VEGIMITE. DISGUSTING! if any aussie ever asks you to have some of that vile stuff.. flat out refuse! it was salt paste on a cracker! They all got a good chuckle at my trying their national spread. It was all in fun, though I don't think I'll get tricked into eating that stuff again!
Got back home in the rain (via the Harbour bridge.. Thank you!) just in time to pack and get ready for the next day flight.
So far so good! :)
Well, my travels have been relatively good so far...
On Monday, I was going to meet up with Michelle, MJ's friend, but it turned out that Tuesday was better for her. So I chose to explore more of the downtown area of Sydney on Monday instead.
I got up, freezing in the hostel, they have no heat.. why would you have heat in the winter I wonder? lol anyways... they did have a lot of hot water, for which I was extremely grateful. I was able to wash my hair without any difficulties and the hairdryer I bought at the Paddy market the day before worked wonderfully. What I did notice upon getting out of the shower was that during the night, some beast or bug of some sort had quite a feast... at my expense. I found about a dozen or so red welts on my torso. Thankfully, they don't itch. Didn't really entice me to get back into bed that night, that's for sure.
So after getting dressed, and having breakfast, I headed off to William St which crosses downtown quite well. I saw the big Coca Cola sign that Kings Cross is known for (among other less savoury things) and proceeded to the St Mary's Cathedral.. lovely, as far as cathedrals go, it has a wooden ceiling and lovely artwork and stained glass windows. From there I visited the Australia Museum that was across the street. That is a great museum, there are dinosaurs, skeletons of all sorts of animals, including humans, and stuffed everything... koalas, dingos, kangaroos, ... and the great part is that you get to pet everything. Koalas didn't seem to be as soft as you'd think... Kangaroos are apparently softer than you'd think..
it was an interesting museum and I took lots of pictures. Speaking of pictures, I had a bit of an unfortunate incident, in that I wanted to keep the photos that were already on the camera before my trip, there were pictures of mom, grandma, Sydney... so, I'm a bit upset that some kind of glitch erased all of them. I'm now hesitant to try and empty my memory card...
Continuing on my trek, I passed through Hyde Park (much smaller than that of London.. but lovely none the less). I continued to Darling Harbour for Lunch and bought an IMAX ticket to see a 3D “under the sea” show for later that evening (5pm) I still intended to go onto the maritime museum as they had a submarine, a warship and a replica of the Endeavor that were perched in the harbour. Concession tickets are just wonderful. I really am glad I went to Kitchener to get my international student ID card. Very Helpful. On a side note, while I was walking along I strangely felt like I was in Downtown Toronto... (other than all the cars going the wrong way!!) oh, and the fact that I was walking by Maseratti, Ferrari, Porche and Lamborghini dealerships... man, was I ever drooling at the windows.. I didn't dare enter.. just left a bit of saliva on the windows.. :) The dealerships were different than what I remember back home.. they were a showroom on the main floor of a building, not a car lot.. I guess with cars like that.. it's an “on order” only.
Back to the Maritime Museum, the submarine was my first stop. Man alive.. mom and dad.. you would never have made it through.. there was hardly any head or hip room.. standing in the hallway, both my hips were touching the respective sides. the bunks were in the hallways and the “heads” were smaller than our pantry back home, and that included the shower!
from there I visited the Warship, which was great, though there were guns, a captain's chair and more room than on the submarine. From there I made my way to Captain Cook's Endeavor, the ship with which he landed and “discovered” Australia. The below decks were extremely tight.. the space from floor to ceiling in one bit of the ship was less than 4 ft... very squishy. (and that's where the officers got.. you can imagine the poor seamen) it was a lovely ship, full of very helpful volunteers who told the historical stories.. I really liked this museum, very customer oriented, friendly and extremely knowledgeable staff. Speaking of which, when I went to go into the “actual” museum, I was offered my own personal guide to teach me and show me around!! how fantastic... a personally guided tour.. for free! so he was a great man, he has a daughter in law I think that is Canadian, from North of Edmonton I think. He explained the significance of lots of things, (and the cost of some of their artifacts) they have a bowl that is worth millions, and a coin that was etched by a convict worth nearly a million. in any case.. it was fascinating. From the lovely tour, I had to rush to get to the IMAX at the other end of the harbour. The cost for a popcorn and pop was $10 and the IMAX ticket (discounted for my being a student) was $16.50. My museums were about the same price put together!
The movie was good. A nice way to relax after a full day on my feet. After the movie, (oh they used the old fashioned 3D glasses, not the nice sunglasses type that we have back home. so I just took the city train back to the hostel where I figured I'd get in, and finish up writing about my day, since it was only about 6:30 when I got back.
So I thought.
What the front desk failed to mention to me that morning when I spoke with them, is that they change their door code every Monday. So, I left, not knowing that the code I had was no longer valid. I tried it in vain, rather unsuccessfully. I was stuck in a doorway locked out at 6:30 at night in winter when it's already dark out in an unsavoury neighbourhood. needless to say... it was a very lonely moment. I just sat on the door step with a newspaper waiting for someone to either come in or go out of the hostel. Thankfully, one of their maintenance staff, aptly named Arcangelo (arch angel) came to my rescue and let me in.
Alas, this dear sweet man (who had studied to become a Franciscan monk) kind of became rather sweet on me. I had things to do but was too thankful to him to just run off to my room. So he and I talked till 9pm.
The next day, I had to be up at 7am to check out of the hostel (they would be closed when I wanted to leave) and get the right city train to get to Michelle. That was pretty good. I'd initially got on the wrong train, but luckly I was able to catch the right one at the next stop.
Michelle.. was just fabulous. She and Patrick, her 8 year old son were such wonderful tour guides.
We were a bit worried about the weather first off, but things cleared up by mid-day. We first went off to visit the THREE SISTERS... a rock formation with a lovely story behind it about a magical man who turned three sisters into stone all around a romance with three brothers I think... something of a romeo and juliet X3. Any case.. I would suggest looking that bit up if you're interested.
We then did Scenic World (think that's the name.. not handy at the moment) we went down the RED DEVIL.. I'm not making that bit up at all.. it's this BEAST that you sit in and it goes down the mountain at a peak of 52 degrees! it's STEEP! that was exciting, and I video taped our descent. Then we were able to walk around the boardwalk and found out neat information about the mines that were in the mountain. We went back up a Funiculaire of sorts with a lovely view.
From there I think we went on for Fish and Chips. In Australia they have the option of using something called Chicken Salt on their chips, the man let me have a taste, it reminds me of chicken bouillon. Eh, I went for the traditional salt. After lunch we drove about a bit. Michelle was so gracious, I'd see a lovely vista and she'd pull over the side of the road to let me snap a picture! Overall, I'd say anyone who visits Sydney, I strongly suggest to visit the Blue Mountains.
We got back home in time for dinner, the food was delicious.. Apricot Chicken and a type of pasta bake that was equally yummy!
What wasn't so good.. was my FIRST TASTE of VEGIMITE. DISGUSTING! if any aussie ever asks you to have some of that vile stuff.. flat out refuse! it was salt paste on a cracker! They all got a good chuckle at my trying their national spread. It was all in fun, though I don't think I'll get tricked into eating that stuff again!
Got back home in the rain (via the Harbour bridge.. Thank you!) just in time to pack and get ready for the next day flight.
So far so good! :)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
day 2
Here I am at the beginning of day 2.
Yesterday I left to go wandering at about 1:30pm or so. I walked to the end of the street where there's a staircase down to the military harbor. There were 3 military ships docked, rather impressive....
before I continue, I'd like to comment on the weather. IT'S BLOODY COLD!!! sure, they have a daily high of 20 degrees, but at night it is FREEZING, and there aren't any heaters or insulation anywhere... so it's bloody cold... especially considering it's winter and the sun goes down at 6pm!
I'm fighting jetlag like crazy... last night was really tough. I have to admit nodding off a few times throughout the opera... it was a great show, though and my nodding off is of no reflection on the show.. it was majestic and quite moving. I'd just been up for about 50 hours or so with a few brief sitting-in-an-airplane-seat naps, at least I think that's accurate... with the time changes and lack of sleep.. my math skills are not fine tuned.
So back to my walk. I walked out to Mrs Macquarie's Chair (apparently a lady of importance) then proceeded to walk through the botanical gardens where they have lots and lots of bats.. BIG ones.. they look soo sweet! fuzzy fluffy bodies with leather-ish wings.
I did my first iconic Aussie thing to do at the point that holds that lady's “chair” (a bit of stone carved to make a seat) I ate a meat pie while sitting facing the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge.. the meat pie isn't too bad and the view was breathtaking!
So down to the iconic building, the Opera House... for a tour. Fascinating building. just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. I would love to hear a concert in the concert hall.. it apparently has perfect acoustics, hearing an organ concert would be great... A huge organ is in the hall... (most of which you can't see because it's built into the building) it took 10 years to build and 2 years to tune... just to give a rough idea of how big this organ is.
After the tour I took a walk down to circular Quay... and past to The Rocks. Mom, I think that's where you should stay.. in a hotel in the Rocks. You will be close to most everything you'd want to see in one day, walking distance from Circular Quay train station... historic and beautiful.
So after my quick dinner in The Rocks, I walked back around the Quay to the Opera House for the performance of Aida. The ballet and voices and set made the show. I wish I could have enjoyed it more than I actually did. It was beautiful.
Something I have noticed, however, is the amazing kindness of Aussies. I met a few people and they were all gracious, helpful and wonderfully friendly.
Well, I'm a bit groggy.. despite sleeping for roughly 6 hours... and I should likely get started with my day.. see if Michelle has written and see if we're able to meet today!
(I'd like to get to a shop or something where I could buy a hair dryer!)
Yesterday I left to go wandering at about 1:30pm or so. I walked to the end of the street where there's a staircase down to the military harbor. There were 3 military ships docked, rather impressive....
before I continue, I'd like to comment on the weather. IT'S BLOODY COLD!!! sure, they have a daily high of 20 degrees, but at night it is FREEZING, and there aren't any heaters or insulation anywhere... so it's bloody cold... especially considering it's winter and the sun goes down at 6pm!
I'm fighting jetlag like crazy... last night was really tough. I have to admit nodding off a few times throughout the opera... it was a great show, though and my nodding off is of no reflection on the show.. it was majestic and quite moving. I'd just been up for about 50 hours or so with a few brief sitting-in-an-airplane-seat naps, at least I think that's accurate... with the time changes and lack of sleep.. my math skills are not fine tuned.
So back to my walk. I walked out to Mrs Macquarie's Chair (apparently a lady of importance) then proceeded to walk through the botanical gardens where they have lots and lots of bats.. BIG ones.. they look soo sweet! fuzzy fluffy bodies with leather-ish wings.
I did my first iconic Aussie thing to do at the point that holds that lady's “chair” (a bit of stone carved to make a seat) I ate a meat pie while sitting facing the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge.. the meat pie isn't too bad and the view was breathtaking!
So down to the iconic building, the Opera House... for a tour. Fascinating building. just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. I would love to hear a concert in the concert hall.. it apparently has perfect acoustics, hearing an organ concert would be great... A huge organ is in the hall... (most of which you can't see because it's built into the building) it took 10 years to build and 2 years to tune... just to give a rough idea of how big this organ is.
After the tour I took a walk down to circular Quay... and past to The Rocks. Mom, I think that's where you should stay.. in a hotel in the Rocks. You will be close to most everything you'd want to see in one day, walking distance from Circular Quay train station... historic and beautiful.
So after my quick dinner in The Rocks, I walked back around the Quay to the Opera House for the performance of Aida. The ballet and voices and set made the show. I wish I could have enjoyed it more than I actually did. It was beautiful.
Something I have noticed, however, is the amazing kindness of Aussies. I met a few people and they were all gracious, helpful and wonderfully friendly.
Well, I'm a bit groggy.. despite sleeping for roughly 6 hours... and I should likely get started with my day.. see if Michelle has written and see if we're able to meet today!
(I'd like to get to a shop or something where I could buy a hair dryer!)
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