Today, Saturday, we are taking it super easy, lol. Matthew is back in bed, having succumbed to a nasty cold yesterday, Mark is out running (egads!), John is glued to his D/S and I am here, on the computer, as usual!
I have been sitting here running through the past few weeks in Australia, thinking about all that we have seen, the differences, the similarities....and it got me thinking. I need to share it all with you, lol.
One of the things I love the most about going to different countries, not that I have been to a great many, but still, one of the things I love is seeing the small changes to something familiar. For instance, when I was in Ireland I bought a back of Starburst....they had all the same flavors except one, it was purple and, I do believe, was a huckleberry flavor. Or something like that. The same is true here, not regarding Starburst, I haven't actually seen any, but you know what I mean.
We bought a bag of nacho cheese Doritos and the bag they come in here is yellow. Yea, yellow...and the chip is totally different. Thicker, more, not stale, but it has a very different taste than in the states.
French fries are chips and chips are crisps....lol, telling John the difference between what they are to Americans Vs. Aussies was too funny ~~
"Brekkie" is breakfast, and, from what I can ascertain, is served all day long at any and all food establishments. They have this sausage roll ~~ okay, seriously, it tastes like Thanksgiving stuffing and is wrapped in puff pastry. Delish! Matt has been going gaga over the meat pies...these tiny little pies filled with different kinds of meat; lamb, beef, chicken -- whichever you desire, and a gravy.
They have a fast food joint called Hungry Jack's, which I swear is Burger King. Mark got their Aussie Brekkie sandwich while we waited for our plane to Alice Springs and it was LOADED. It had a patty, sausage, egg, carrots, beets . . . you name it, it was on it. Lol - very interesting.
The Aussie paper money is almost to pretty to spend. The texture of it is so different from ours, with ours you can really feel the paper and its thickness. The Aussie money is almost, silky, I guess would be the word. And very thin. And VERY colorful! The paper money begins at $5.00, anything less is in coin. And it is funny, their dollar coins, which are gold, have the $2.00 coin being much smaller than the $1.00 coin. But the cent coins (they are silver) are reversed, with the .50 cent being the largest. I don't know why we thought that was interesting, but we all have commented on it. I also over-heard an American woman talking about yesterday as she was checking out of the gift shop at the zoo...hahaha, so I guess we're not the only ones!
The toilets have two different flushing buttons. I think it might be due to their water crisis, but I am not sure. Anyway, so yea, two different buttons. One is a small flush and the other is a great gush of water, very powerful. Mark instructed the boys that the light flush was for "light jobs" and the heavy flush was for the "BIG jobs" only --- dear dog!
So far we haven't found a coffee shop yet that makes drip coffee. It's all press. They have terms for coffee that we had never heard of; long black, short black, flat white, etc....Mark actually googled it two nights ago after I ordered a short black thinking it would be just a regular cup of black coffee. Nope. It wasn't. It was basically a double shot of espresso! But now we know, lol.
Things are very expensive here. I think I have mentioned that before. But it really is staggering. Gas is charged by the liter here. We spent $100.00 to fill up the Ford Falcon....I never paid that much to fill up my old Expedition ~~ it pierces the heart, it surely does ;-) We haven't had a single beer out at dinner that was less than $6.00 a bottle. Which is why we limit ourselves to one drink each, lol, dear dog the bill racks up quick when you add a beverage! And the meals are EXPENSIVE. No dish, not even the nachos John got last night, has been less than $25.00. Crazy expensive, at least, to me.
While we were in Alice Springs we saw many of the Aboriginal people of the area. While it might not be fair to say, and I admit I am not knowledgable in the slightest about the plight of the Aboriginies, or if there even is one, but I was reminded of the Native Americans in our country. There seemed to be many that were down on their luck -- I don't know if they have been pushed off their land or what, but from what I could see, it didn't seem like they were thriving. Mark heard on a public radio segment that there is quite a bit of mental health issues within the Aboriginal people, but there is not enough money in the healthcare budget so they are left untreated. Australia has public healthcare/government run --- it struck me when we were talking about the plight of the Aboriginies with the mental health problems and the lack of funding for proper treatment, that, yes, with public/government run health care everyone is allowed care, but if there isn't enough money in the budget to cover the needs of all of those people or even just a particular group of people with needs that are expensive to treat, the care isn't there. I don't know, maybe that wasn't worded right -- and I didn't come on here to get on any kind of soap box. It was just an observation.
I noticed this in Ireland, and Australia is not different in the slightest....ice is apparently not needed in drinks, lol. The boys have gotten many a soda that had 3 lonely ice chips floating in it, or none at all, ha! The soda is cold, which is great, but it's just funny, especially coming from the states where we usually get a glass half filled with ice. Also, unlike in the states where the waiter/waitress will put the bill on your table, or come 'round and see if you want refills or anything else, here we have noticed that pretty much as soon as your main entree is delivered, you are left alone. They don't hover AT ALL. We've had to track down our server a handful of times to ask for our check, dessert, or another drink. It's nice, though, to not have someone hovering around your table.
I know there is more.....but I'll leave it for another time, lol! I'm going to go check on Matt (who is still sleeping) and try to convince John that he wants to watch a movie with his Mom :-)
Until later, then . . .
Friday, June 25, 2010
One of the BEST days....EVER!
Before I get in to what we did today, I wanted to tell ya'll about what we saw yesterday while we were walking around downtown Brisbane. Besides awesome shopping...seriously, these Aussies know what is UP with shopping! *sigh* So many stores, so little money :-( Tragic. Tragic, indeed.
Okay, so we were on some street -- it was like a city block of shopping, very neat the way it was laid out. It reminded me of Grafton St. in Ireland, a street that seems like everyone in the city is on it . . . well, there were these two older gentlemen playing ragtime music! Oh my gosh, they were so good, and so adorable in their caps and suspenders....when they sang it reminded me of White Christmas, with Bing Crosby and who ever his side kick is, lol! I never remember his name. Not much but that was playing around in my head tonight, ha. I LOVE live music, however it comes at me ~~ concert, bar, on a street corner...I LOVE it. We stayed for two songs and thoroughly enjoyed every second!
Today, today, TODAY!!!
We went to the Australia Zoo today! Oh my gosh, this was like 9yrs in the making ~~ and worth the wait :-) Australia Zoo is located in Beerwah which is just, um, maybe an hour (if traffic is bad...or you go the wrong way, like we did) from Brisbane and is absolutely beautiful. It's so green. The trees, they are like pine trees. I don't know, does Australia have pine trees? I'll have to google that. But anyway, you know the kind I am talking about -- evergreens. It added to the overall beauty that today was cloudy/rainy, so the mountains were topped with misty clouds and everything just kind of shimmered, as it does when mist/rain is thinly coating the air.
The zoo itself is paradise. The landscaping alone is breathtaking. There are trees that are clustered together all over, providing a beautiful canopy on any kind of day, but I am sure also, much needed shade in the heat of the summer. Water, ponds and streams are dominant in almost all of the habitats -- and none of the habitats is done half measure. Care and consideration was taken for every animal that resides in their zoo . . . it is evident just by viewing their habitats.
Of course the crocs are a very dominant feature in the zoo....OBVIOUSLY, lol! The layout of the croc habitats is awesome....they aren't all clustered together in one huge area, some are alone in a good size area, while others are with their mates (so cute!).
They have a central area where they have their gift shops, food court, and animal encounter. At the animal encounter, depending on the time, you can get your picture taken with a snake, crocodile, iguana, koala, bird...and I think something else. We walked by during the snake and iguana hour so each boy took a pic with one of the reptiles. John and his dad took a picture with a HUGE iguana, while Matt sat with an albino python wrapped around him...not for the faint of heart, I'll tell you that much!
Prior to the animal encounter, we went to the crocoseum, which, if you are a Crocodile Hunter fan, you know it's where the crocs are fed in front of the crowd and you get a chance to see the awesome power and lightning fast reflexes of these great reptiles. As well as hear the unbelievable sound of their jaws snapping shut - WOW! Anyway. We were there for the Wildlife Warrior show, and, I have to tell you, they start it off with audio of an interview with Steve Irwin in which he is telling about his passion for conservation and how he wants to bring the world with him so that they can see these animals/reptiles and fall in love, for people will save what they love .... okay, I was totally choking back tears. It is just so sad that he passed away and the world lost such an exuberiant, bright person, as well as, animals/reptiles losing such a strong advocate for them. Sad.
However, the bright spot is how obvious it is that all the members of this zoo have taken to heart his passion. From the time they take to talk/educate as you wander around, to the obvious love they have for the animals under their care, his message, his passion, encompasses everything.
My camera flat out DIED during the Warrior show .... and we weren't even an hour into being there! Ggrr...I think I left it on at some point and just drained the darn thing down. I tell you this to let you know that there were some really incredible things we saw but I have NO pictures, so you'll just have to take my word for it! Or come here and see it for yourself, better idea for sure :-)
As we walked along, the mist turned in to full blown rain . . . and we were NOT prepared, lol. We took shelter in the baby farm animal shed and that was sure not a hardship -- little baby goats and piglets scampered about. You are allowed to pet them at your leisure. You can feed them, too. We practically had to tear John away. He told us many times that he has finally decided what he wants to do when he grows up...he wants to be like Steve Irwin. I have to say, I have always thought John would do something with animals, he loves them so. We'll see. It will interesting to see......
Anyway.
Probably one of the COOLEST things, if not the absolute coolest, was going in to the kangaroo park. Kangaroos and Wallabies are just roaming about -- so tame and docile, it was unbelievable! You could just walk right up to them and pet them. Holy cow! It was so cool. Kangaroos are so soft -- I totally didn't think they would be, but wow, they are! You can also get food and feed them. Boy do they love that, lol! The boys had a ball feeding and petting the kangaroos and wallabies. John kept saying how he wanted to have one for a pet ;-)
Oh! Oh! I almost forgot -- MY favorite, the koala house! If ever there was a more precious little animal, it's the koala! Oh man, their precious little faces and furry bodies...ugh, I could just cuddle them all day! There was one that had a baby, it was 7 months old and let me tell you, it sure as heck didn't look like it! So tiny. So precious! We spent a lot of time in the koala house -- they are just so cute, you just don't want to leave.
Okay, so after the kangaroos we headed to where they keep the Sumatran Tigers. Side note: You know how so many zoos have these little habitats for the tigers and lions? Well not this zoo! No sir...the tigers had a GORGEOUS habitat, big and well equipped. As you walk in to their habitat, there are two gigantic bronze looking tiger statues flanking the entrance. A lot of Asian influence is found in and around the habitat. It is just stunning! Man, I wish my camera hadn't died...
The tigers, there are 3 of them, were gorgeous!!! And they were active, to boot, lol. Two of them were playing together; butting heads, rubbing up against one another, while the other was taking a lazy stroll about the habitat. Seeing the animals in motion adds so much to the experience, I am sure you all feel the same, it just can't be aptly described. At least, not by me.
I'm not going to lie --- I feel like this almost every time I visit a zoo, but especially today, there is a desire to seriously get on the "SAVE THE ANIMALS" bandwagon. Dangerous, lol. Very dangerous. John, however, is FULLY on the wagon. Hell, he may be driving it....it just tears him to pieces when he reads the tidbits set up around the habitats that talk about the falling numbers of a species, the lack of natural habitat, the poaching, etc....he just doesn't get it and it pisses him off something fierce that people would be responsible for the extinction of an animal.
Okay. Okay. I'm stepping off the bandwagon.
Matt, John and I all agreed that Australia Zoo is, handsdown, the best zoo we have ever been to! We were there for 6 hours and the time just FLEW by. The atmosphere is so pleasant, the animals so engaging, you can't tell the passing of time. I can't think of a better way to spend the day!
And now I have to get mushy.
I have long wanted to come to Australia. Gosh, since late elementary/early jr. high years, I have thought about coming to this wonderful country. But, when I had Matthew and he fell in awe of Steve Irwin, with John following in his footsteps years later, my dream became that of bringing my boys to this country to see the stomping grounds of their hero.
To actually be there today. To see my boys there. I can't ask for anything more....
How many times do we watch our dreams come true?
Today I watched as my dream came true. How can anything else top that!? I don't think anything else could possibly top this!!! I'll never forget the look on their faces as we walked up to Australia Zoo, home of the Crocodile Hunter.....it will reside in my heart, in my mind, forever!
Okay, so we were on some street -- it was like a city block of shopping, very neat the way it was laid out. It reminded me of Grafton St. in Ireland, a street that seems like everyone in the city is on it . . . well, there were these two older gentlemen playing ragtime music! Oh my gosh, they were so good, and so adorable in their caps and suspenders....when they sang it reminded me of White Christmas, with Bing Crosby and who ever his side kick is, lol! I never remember his name. Not much but that was playing around in my head tonight, ha. I LOVE live music, however it comes at me ~~ concert, bar, on a street corner...I LOVE it. We stayed for two songs and thoroughly enjoyed every second!
Today, today, TODAY!!!
We went to the Australia Zoo today! Oh my gosh, this was like 9yrs in the making ~~ and worth the wait :-) Australia Zoo is located in Beerwah which is just, um, maybe an hour (if traffic is bad...or you go the wrong way, like we did) from Brisbane and is absolutely beautiful. It's so green. The trees, they are like pine trees. I don't know, does Australia have pine trees? I'll have to google that. But anyway, you know the kind I am talking about -- evergreens. It added to the overall beauty that today was cloudy/rainy, so the mountains were topped with misty clouds and everything just kind of shimmered, as it does when mist/rain is thinly coating the air.
The zoo itself is paradise. The landscaping alone is breathtaking. There are trees that are clustered together all over, providing a beautiful canopy on any kind of day, but I am sure also, much needed shade in the heat of the summer. Water, ponds and streams are dominant in almost all of the habitats -- and none of the habitats is done half measure. Care and consideration was taken for every animal that resides in their zoo . . . it is evident just by viewing their habitats.
Of course the crocs are a very dominant feature in the zoo....OBVIOUSLY, lol! The layout of the croc habitats is awesome....they aren't all clustered together in one huge area, some are alone in a good size area, while others are with their mates (so cute!).
They have a central area where they have their gift shops, food court, and animal encounter. At the animal encounter, depending on the time, you can get your picture taken with a snake, crocodile, iguana, koala, bird...and I think something else. We walked by during the snake and iguana hour so each boy took a pic with one of the reptiles. John and his dad took a picture with a HUGE iguana, while Matt sat with an albino python wrapped around him...not for the faint of heart, I'll tell you that much!
Prior to the animal encounter, we went to the crocoseum, which, if you are a Crocodile Hunter fan, you know it's where the crocs are fed in front of the crowd and you get a chance to see the awesome power and lightning fast reflexes of these great reptiles. As well as hear the unbelievable sound of their jaws snapping shut - WOW! Anyway. We were there for the Wildlife Warrior show, and, I have to tell you, they start it off with audio of an interview with Steve Irwin in which he is telling about his passion for conservation and how he wants to bring the world with him so that they can see these animals/reptiles and fall in love, for people will save what they love .... okay, I was totally choking back tears. It is just so sad that he passed away and the world lost such an exuberiant, bright person, as well as, animals/reptiles losing such a strong advocate for them. Sad.
However, the bright spot is how obvious it is that all the members of this zoo have taken to heart his passion. From the time they take to talk/educate as you wander around, to the obvious love they have for the animals under their care, his message, his passion, encompasses everything.
My camera flat out DIED during the Warrior show .... and we weren't even an hour into being there! Ggrr...I think I left it on at some point and just drained the darn thing down. I tell you this to let you know that there were some really incredible things we saw but I have NO pictures, so you'll just have to take my word for it! Or come here and see it for yourself, better idea for sure :-)
As we walked along, the mist turned in to full blown rain . . . and we were NOT prepared, lol. We took shelter in the baby farm animal shed and that was sure not a hardship -- little baby goats and piglets scampered about. You are allowed to pet them at your leisure. You can feed them, too. We practically had to tear John away. He told us many times that he has finally decided what he wants to do when he grows up...he wants to be like Steve Irwin. I have to say, I have always thought John would do something with animals, he loves them so. We'll see. It will interesting to see......
Anyway.
Probably one of the COOLEST things, if not the absolute coolest, was going in to the kangaroo park. Kangaroos and Wallabies are just roaming about -- so tame and docile, it was unbelievable! You could just walk right up to them and pet them. Holy cow! It was so cool. Kangaroos are so soft -- I totally didn't think they would be, but wow, they are! You can also get food and feed them. Boy do they love that, lol! The boys had a ball feeding and petting the kangaroos and wallabies. John kept saying how he wanted to have one for a pet ;-)
Oh! Oh! I almost forgot -- MY favorite, the koala house! If ever there was a more precious little animal, it's the koala! Oh man, their precious little faces and furry bodies...ugh, I could just cuddle them all day! There was one that had a baby, it was 7 months old and let me tell you, it sure as heck didn't look like it! So tiny. So precious! We spent a lot of time in the koala house -- they are just so cute, you just don't want to leave.
Okay, so after the kangaroos we headed to where they keep the Sumatran Tigers. Side note: You know how so many zoos have these little habitats for the tigers and lions? Well not this zoo! No sir...the tigers had a GORGEOUS habitat, big and well equipped. As you walk in to their habitat, there are two gigantic bronze looking tiger statues flanking the entrance. A lot of Asian influence is found in and around the habitat. It is just stunning! Man, I wish my camera hadn't died...
The tigers, there are 3 of them, were gorgeous!!! And they were active, to boot, lol. Two of them were playing together; butting heads, rubbing up against one another, while the other was taking a lazy stroll about the habitat. Seeing the animals in motion adds so much to the experience, I am sure you all feel the same, it just can't be aptly described. At least, not by me.
I'm not going to lie --- I feel like this almost every time I visit a zoo, but especially today, there is a desire to seriously get on the "SAVE THE ANIMALS" bandwagon. Dangerous, lol. Very dangerous. John, however, is FULLY on the wagon. Hell, he may be driving it....it just tears him to pieces when he reads the tidbits set up around the habitats that talk about the falling numbers of a species, the lack of natural habitat, the poaching, etc....he just doesn't get it and it pisses him off something fierce that people would be responsible for the extinction of an animal.
Okay. Okay. I'm stepping off the bandwagon.
Matt, John and I all agreed that Australia Zoo is, handsdown, the best zoo we have ever been to! We were there for 6 hours and the time just FLEW by. The atmosphere is so pleasant, the animals so engaging, you can't tell the passing of time. I can't think of a better way to spend the day!
And now I have to get mushy.
I have long wanted to come to Australia. Gosh, since late elementary/early jr. high years, I have thought about coming to this wonderful country. But, when I had Matthew and he fell in awe of Steve Irwin, with John following in his footsteps years later, my dream became that of bringing my boys to this country to see the stomping grounds of their hero.
To actually be there today. To see my boys there. I can't ask for anything more....
How many times do we watch our dreams come true?
Today I watched as my dream came true. How can anything else top that!? I don't think anything else could possibly top this!!! I'll never forget the look on their faces as we walked up to Australia Zoo, home of the Crocodile Hunter.....it will reside in my heart, in my mind, forever!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Not too much
Well, I don't have too much to report. Our last full day at Ayers Rock saw me in my jammies all day with John burning up the movie player by my side, while Mark and Matt went out on a bushwalk, lol. I was hit HARD with a horrid sinus cold --- ugh! It was bad, but, I did manage to stay up until 1am and call my Daddy to wish him a Happy Father's Day, only to miss him by minutes! Ha, such is the luck! I did get him later on though, so yea for me :-)
We flew out of Alice Springs yesterday and I am going to say this......flying with a sinus head cold ~~~ NOT GOOD! OMG, I have NEVER felt pain like that before. I thought something was going to burst, there was so much pressure. It was, without a doubt, one of the most painful things I have ever been through. I am currently popping Sudafed like candy (not really, totally going by the directions :-)), hoping to get this thing out of my system before I spend 18hrs in the air....that would NOT be pleasant!
We spent a relatively lazy day walking around Brisbane...."relative" being the key term here. Remember, we are traveling with a Marine! Ugh..but it was fun. We poked about a bit, Brisbane is lovely. The people are really lovely....and I don't think I could ever get over their accents! LOVE THEM!!!
We are heading to Australia Zoo tomorrow -- the boys and I are SO excited about this! Steve Irwin's zoo, HELL YEA!
I will post more later. You know I will, lol. I am just completely knackered, presently, and must pour myself a refreshing glass of merlot!
'Til tomorrow ~~
We flew out of Alice Springs yesterday and I am going to say this......flying with a sinus head cold ~~~ NOT GOOD! OMG, I have NEVER felt pain like that before. I thought something was going to burst, there was so much pressure. It was, without a doubt, one of the most painful things I have ever been through. I am currently popping Sudafed like candy (not really, totally going by the directions :-)), hoping to get this thing out of my system before I spend 18hrs in the air....that would NOT be pleasant!
We spent a relatively lazy day walking around Brisbane...."relative" being the key term here. Remember, we are traveling with a Marine! Ugh..but it was fun. We poked about a bit, Brisbane is lovely. The people are really lovely....and I don't think I could ever get over their accents! LOVE THEM!!!
We are heading to Australia Zoo tomorrow -- the boys and I are SO excited about this! Steve Irwin's zoo, HELL YEA!
I will post more later. You know I will, lol. I am just completely knackered, presently, and must pour myself a refreshing glass of merlot!
'Til tomorrow ~~
Monday, June 21, 2010
The hits just keep on coming :-)
6/20
Gosh, as our days have gone, this day was a pretty lazy day! I think we only bushwalked 3 miles today, lol.
We visited the Olgas on this day. The Olgas are sacred to the Anangu, just as Uluru is, however, there are more trails that can be explored around and in between the the rocks. I must say that, while Uluru is stunning and dripping with mystique, the Olgas were my favorite.
We started off slow, with a 1 mile round trip hike along the Walpa Gorge. It was FANTASTIC....the wind was whipping around us, the morning air was crisp, and the views were stunning! Oh! and because of the horrid ordeal with the flies when we were at Uluru, I had purchased a net, yes a net, that goes over your hate, covers your face and tucks in nice and tight around the neck...think bee keeper. Flies BEGONE!
Maybe it was the chill of the morning air or maybe it was the wind, but my handy dandy fly hat net was not needed for the gorge walk. I was determined to wear it anyway, on ounce of prevention and all of that....it seriously dismayed Matthew to see me wearing it, as well as noticing all the odd looks I was getting from fellow gorge walkers. I confess, it looked weird...it really did. And since there was nary a fly to be had, well, it REALLY looked weird! I didn't wear it for the full walk, lol, I did take pity on my poor pre-teen sons fragile confidence and dignity. Plus, it really hindered picture taking - I couldn't see properly through the view, lol.
After walking the Walpa Gorge, we next went on the Valley of Winds trail, which, just between you and I, was not as windy as the Walpa Gorge. Seriously misnamed! Ah, BUT, guess what!? The flies were back with a vengeance! Hahaha - yes, they were, but they weren't a problem for me, no sir, I had my fly net proudly draped over my hat and face and I walked with confidence and no small amount of relief that those damn flying buggers were not attacking me as they had done the day previous! Take THAT! Yes, I will rock an unattractive, yet sensible piece of headgear, if it helps to maintain my sanity and usual cheery nature, by God, I will!
The Valley of Winds walk was quite beautiful. It wasn't necessarily an easy walk, as most was uphill on loose rock or flat out over the rocks, but that is what made it fun; the crunch of our steps, the hopping from rock to rock. It was great. The path leads between two huge rocks. I can't aptly describe how big they are, suffice to say, when you're in between them the sun is blocked out entirely. We didn't do the full 7.4km walk as we needed to get back to the apartment for lunch and were then heading out at 4:30pm for a sunset camel ride to Uluru, but what we did do was lovely and just enough to tire out our legs and get our feet to aching, lol. I tell you what, if after this trip my legs aren't in fighting shape, it's not for lack of trying...good night nurse, walking, climbing, hiking...STAIRS! My poor shoes are being worn thin!
We met our camel tour bus just outside the main hotel here at the resort and joined with three other couples who would be going as well. The camel farm wasn't too far away and when we drove up there were 5 camels sitting on the ground all saddled up and ready to go. They were so freaking cute with their snobby looks and disdainful tilt of their heads! Three of the camels were tied together in one group while the other two were off a bit to the side, tied together. The two were smaller than the other three and I couldn't help hoping as we walked over to them that they wouldn't be our camels. Ha, so much for hoping. They were!
Each camel sits two riders, so the plan was for Mark and I to each ride with one of the boys. Plans, plans, plans...funny how even the best laid plans can go so wrong, lol!
So, we have our safety helmets on, our sheepskin saddle blankets thrown over our arms, we are ready to go! Lol, if only we knew how stubborn a camel could be :-) Mark and Matt were going to get settled on their camel first, with Matt being the first to sit on the saddle and Mark following quickly, as apparently, when a camel feels someone sit upon them, their instinct is to stand up. Okay, so Matt is sitting down, the camel handler is holding the camels neck, oh, the camels name is, Nikko, saying, "woosh, woosh", which is how the camel knows to remain seated. So, Mark gets on and gets settled. The handler steps back, tells Mark and Matt to lean back in their saddles and runs at them clapping his hands, saying, "Up, Nikko. Up!" Nikko doesn't move a muscle. Well, unless you consider his mouth to be a muscle. Boy howdy, that camel bellowed like you wouldn't believe, lol. The handler tried again and again, stomping his foot, rushing the camel, clapping his hands, saying over and over again, "UP! Nikko, UP!"
Can I just real quick, by this time the other camels have all accepted their travelers and are standing quietly, and patiently, I might add. And I am laughing so hard I am crying. It was probably not nice of me, but damn me if it wasn't the funniest thing to see the handler doing his level best to get Nikko to stand and all Nikko would do was bellow ~~ oh, good times!
Poor John was about to bounce out of his skin he was so excited to get on a camel, and his brothers darn camel wasn't cooperating, making it so he had to wait. Poor John, he suffered so.
Anyway. The poor handler. He looked quite at a loss. The only movement Nikko ever made was to open his mouth and bellow at the handler. I had no idea camels were so vocal. The handler asked Mark how much he weighed, lol, thinking that Nikko was balking due to the weight. Side note: They recommend that no one over 95 kilos (210 lbs) ride the camels. Mark is under their recommended max weight so it shouldn't have been an issue. I think that Nikko was being obstinate and wanted what he wanted . . . a lighter load. They decided to put both the boys on Nikko and John fair flew to the camel, he was so thrilled to finally be getting on one! Both Mark and Matt had to get off, as they were putting John in the front and moving Matt to the back. So here we go again....
The boys are in the saddles leaning back and the handler claps his hands and says, "Up, Nikko. UP!" Wouldn't you know it, that damn camel popped right up.
Now, when a camel rises it rises back legs first, hence the need to lean back. And it looks rather, um, well, it could be frightening or unsettling. And it was...
While John is "whoo-hooing" and shouting out how awesome it all is, poor Matt's face is going sheet white. His eyes are huge and terror is stricken all over his face. I don't know about you but, when I see one of my kids look like that, there isn't anything on this Earth that is going to keep me from making it all better as long as it is within my power to do so...and even if it's not. My kids won't be terrifed like that, not if I have anything to say about. And luckily, I do ~~~
Mark and I are on the ground watching the boys and I am having a fast and quiet dialogue with Mark about Matthew. I keep telling Mark that Matt is terrified and we need to get him off the camel. That Matt and I will stay behind while he and John continue on with the others. Mark is getting angrier and angrier as our conversation continues. He keeps insisting that Matt will be fine, that it is ridiculous to get him off the camel, and that as soon as we get going Matt will have a blast. He's also getting VERY irritated with me personally, saying that my attitude is only making things worse....please note, we are having a very quiet conversation, of which no one other than ourselves is privy to the content. Anyway, so this fruitless dialogue continues and while it continues, Matt has gone from stark terror to a trembling lip and tear-filled eyes. I tell you what, I was about to yank him off that camel, I sure as hell was! I asked Matt how he felt (with cheer in my voice!) and he told me he wanted to get off. I told him that was fine as Mark grunted in disgust behind me, and I told the cameleer who was leading the tour that we needed to get Matt off and Mark and John would proceed with the group. Mark was PISSED. While I grant that it was entirely possible that once under way Matt's fear would have abated and he would have had a rip roaring good time, I also know that it was equally entirely possible that he wouldn't get over the terror and I saw no point in putting him through that abject terror for a "maybe". There will be time enough in his life to have other chances like this.....
The cameleer did try to talk Matt into just giving it a go, but Matt was having none of that. He wanted off that camel and he wanted off NOW. As soon as they got Nikko to sit down Matt practically flew off the camel and came running to my side. I gave him a hug and kiss and assured him that it was no big deal that he didn't want to ride the camel. He tells me, "They're so much bigger than horses, Mom. And I don't like heights!" 'nough said, in my opinion.
Mark had the face of a storm cloud as he walked to his camel. Suffice to say, he was not happy. It's something I have noticed about Mark in our 12yrs together, he doesn't have much patience or sympathy for peoples' fears. I find it especially irritating when that lack of patience or sympathy is present when it pertains to our kids and their very real fears. Just saying.....
Okay, so John got moved to the back saddle of Nikko and Mark got settled on the back of Stirlo. Both camels popped right up when encouraged by the handler. John has the biggest smile on his face --- he keeps throwing his arms in to the air with his fingers in the "rock on" sign. It was so freaking cute! The cameleer walked Stirlo and Nikko to the back of the other three camels and tied them to the camel train. Off they went. In a lovely little 5 camel line, with John and Nikko bringing up the rear.
When they had disappeared around the bend, it was just Matt, myself, and the handler who had worked so hard to get Nikko to accept Mark and Matt as his riders, left standing there. He offered to let us help him feed the other camels in the yard and Matt and I jumped at the chance! Matt and I spent a lovely hour and a half with the camels, while pestering the handler with all sorts of questions...I am sure he was THRILLED when he had to go inside for other duties, lol!
I was standing on a set of stairs trying to get a picture of Uluru at sunset when I spotted the camel train returning. I walked over to where they were going to be entering the yard so that I could get pictures. I wasn't standing there but a hot second before John spotted me....As soon as he saw me, he throws his arms in the air with a double thumbs up and starts hollering, "This was the the best EVER! Matt, you totally missed out!" Lol, his excitement for all things never fails to warm my heart.
They had snacks and drinks set out for everybody upon return and it was nice to chat with the cameleer, who has been working with camels for 30yrs, ever since he was 17, as well as the other riders. And John, John was bubbling with excitement over the adventure he had just had. He even signed their book:
20/06/10 John Ferguson U.S.A. Best thing I've ever done
Gawd, he is so cute!
Matt seemed to think that since he didn't actually go on the ride that he didn't deserve beverage or snack. I assured him, as I enjoyed my glass of Merlot, that he was absolutely welcome to the drinks and snacks, after all, it was our money that paid for them...that did nothing to sway him, bless his little heart.
Our night ended with left-overs and early bedtime . . . I have finally succumbed to the cold that Mark has had and I feel like crappola so there isn't much left in me after all the hiking here, there and everywhere. I pretty much hit the wall as soon as the sun goes down, lol, I know, I am an exciting lady!
So much to catch up on. Buckle in and enjoy the ride, lol!
June 17th-19th.
We enjoyed Alice Springs leisurely, which I must say, was a nice change of pace. Mark drove our rugged Ford Falcon, lol, down to the main strip where the "mall" is located and we passed many a pleasant hour walking in and out of the shops that lined the outdoor style mall. Many of the shops boasted amazing paintings and handmade Aboriginal crafts from the local tribes. Even the boomerangs were a work of art, with the scenes upon them burnt into the wood - it was really something to see.
We drove up Anzac hill, which affords you a complete 360 degree view of the town. Trust me, it doesn't take that long to take it all in, lol, Alice Springs in not what one would call a large town. Oh, by the way, "Anzac", for those who are wondering, is the term they gave the Australian & New Zealand men and women who joined up in World War I. The name is a merging of the two countries and it has stuck throughout all the wars they have fought in. There are many memorials honoring the courage and sacrifice of their fallen. It is always heartwarming to see that the great sacrifice given by so many for their country and the freedom of all, is honored and remembered.
The morning of the 18th saw us on the road to Ayers Rock with yours truly behind the wheel. After getting my feet wet a few summers back driving in Ireland, I felt like an old hat at the "wrong side of the road and car" driving done here in Australia, ha! So I wasn't nervous in the slightest! Although, the same might not be said for my stalwart shotgun passenger...poor Mark, he claims he fears for his life every time he gets in a car with me behind the wheel (it begs to be said, I haven't been in an accident in YEARS..decades, people!), but as I am so often the driver whenever we go anywhere, I must conclude that he likes the thrill...weirdo!
We weren't but 10-15 minutes on Stuart Hwy heading towards The Rock when Mark points out the window and says, "What IS that?" I slowed to almost a complete stop (luckily no one was behind us, eh) and we watched in unbridled excitement as a dingo, carrying a bit of a kangaroo in its mouth, meandered along in the middle of the highway! OMG!!!! A DINGO...and none of us with a camera at the ready!! All I kept hearing in my head was, "A dingo ate my baby..." what movie was that, again? Ha, anyway. We were so stoked! Real Outback wildlife!! Awesome :-)
The drive to The Rock from Alice Springs is just 4 1/2 hours and I have to say, it is the best way to go. The landscape is just amazing....the sky is huge, it looks stretched, if that makes any sense, and as far as the eye can see is blue sky unbroken by any mountains with a rolling landscape of red dirt and bush. There were so many birds and in such vibrant colors. I disturbed a flock of them from a bush as I drove passed -- out flies about 20-30 of the most vibrant lime-green colored birds, I have never seen birds so bright -- and they are tiny little suckers, too. There were also these other birds, a wee bit bigger than the green ones, and they were black and turquoise --- when the sunlight catches their feathers it looks like they are lit from within, the turquoise shines so bright.
Our apartment at Ayers Rock Resort was not quite what was advertised, lol, ants on the counters and in our bed, no oven, no laundry in the apartment, no internet (the highest crime!) and no cable, but it worked. We went to the resort grocery store soon after we arrived and, Holy Hera, but they gouge you! I guess they figure that since they are the only game in town (and I do mean ONLY..there is nothing else out there) people will pay whatever is asked for their needs. Ha, and they're right because trust me, under no other circumstance would I have EVER paid $4.70 for a small can of chili...NEVER!
Our first morning, after a hearty breakfast of bacon, toast and chili-cheese eggs (chili used sparingly, lol), we hopped in our car and headed to Uluru. Uluru is absolutely incredible. It is a spiritual place for the Aboriginal tribe from the area, so they have many spiritual areas around the rock that you are not allowed to explore or take pictures of. They are sites that are still used today. Some of them are sacred to just the women, some to just the men, some to the elders and some are for everyone. Uluru, btw, is the big red rock that you so often see in pictures, commercials or advertisements about Australia. It is in what they call the Red Centre. It is truly an awesome sight to see it up close and personal. While it is not recommended that you climb Uluru, due to its spiritual nature, you actually can climb it if the weather is right. God be praised that it was windy at the summit the day we went, otherwise I wouldn't be here to regale you with our on-going adventures! I would have died from a heart attack -- either from fear (that damn thing is TALL and STEEP) of falling and plummeting to my death in a rather ungraceful manner, or from the friggin stress of climbing pretty much straight up! Dear diggity dog, never in a million years would I have done that! So, since climbing was not an option (thank you, Lord!), we decided to do the 10km "easy" base walk.
Now, as far as there not being any stairs (thank you!) or hills, yes, it is an easy walk. What makes it difficult, if you are me, is the ungodly amount of flies that continuously buzz about you. It is seriously unreal the amount of flies. AND, quite distracting, to be honest. There is so much beauty and wonder to take in but it is quite overtaken by the obnoxious flies. One even flew into my nose. YES, my friggin nose!! I had to oakie blow the damn thing out and its dead body landed on my chest. It was so foul!
Flies aside, it was a gorgeous day in Australia. The weather is perfection; crisp in the morning, warming up to the mid-60's in the afternoon with a gorgeous breeze. The sky a deep blue with thin white clouds stretched here and there and the sun gently beaming its light upon all beneath it, making everything shine and shimmer. And against all of that, is the deep red of the monolith, Uluru....you can imagine how it can make one catch their breath or feel as if they are standing within the embrace of a people who have held that land for 10's of thousands of years and know the secrets of the land like no other.
Truly magnificent.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
No worries
We spent a lovely day yesterday exploring the Blue Mountains in Katoomba. We took the train from Central Station in Sydney and the boys enjoyed their first train ride ever :-) It took about 2 hours to get from Sydney to Katoomba by rail....there is something about train travel that makes one feel as if they have gone back a bit in time. The rocking of the cars, the scenery passing by, the strangers loading on and off on their way to who only knows where....it's fun to while away the hours wondering about them; or maybe that is just me, lol.
The Blue Mountains are beautiful. We hiked all over the place -- it got to where when I saw stairs I started to whimper...I don't mind going down stairs so much, it's the going up that I can hardly handle! It's why I adamantly stay away from the StairMaster at the gym. When I go to the gym, that is. The boys were having a ball, though. Matt is destined to live in some mountain retreat, secluded and with a myriad of trails and paths to explore. We got a hop on/hop off bus pass while we were there. It allowed us to explore at our leisure, see the areas we wanted and catch a bus at any bus stop along the way. We had a fantastic driver, Jimmy. He was HYSTERICAL! There were many people from all over the world hopping on and off his bus and he did his level best to greet them in their native language, sometimes not quite getting it right, to the amusement of those who understood what he was saying, lol!
We returned to Sydney at half past 6pm and trekked back to where our hotel was located, stopping at a Spanish restaurant just across the street. It was such a lovely atmosphere inside, it reminded both Mark and I of Woolgrower's or Benji's - it had that kind of cozy feel. Mark and I had a most delicious wine, wish I could remember what it was called, lol, but damn me if it wasn't a good Spanish red! We were all feeling pretty knackered by the end of it, though. Mark and Matt have been working on getting sick and both of them hit the wall at dinner. I started to feel a little run down myself but knew that bed was far off for me...there was laundry to do, bags to get organized and packed, electronic doodads to charge....it seems never ending sometimes ;-)
We took off for the airport by way of taxi this morning and I think Sydney was mourning our leaving! It was the first day since we had been there that clouds covered the sky and while we were waiting for our flight it began to rain. See, sad to see us go.....we met a lovely American family that was MOVING to Alice Springs. He was a government contractor accountant for the Air Force and he received orders here. They have two daughters, one Matt's age and the other high school age. This is their first move overseas but they have traveled extensively their whole lives, lol, so this seemed to be very anti-climactic for them. We had fun chatting while we waited for our plane....apparently Alice Springs is considered a "hardship tour". I guess it just depends on who you ask....
My first view of the "Outback" brought tears to my eyes. I have thought about coming here since I first say The Man from Snowy River, lol. Daddy and I would talk about coming to Australia and backpacking through the Outback. As I gazed down on the limitless expanse of land, red dirt/clay showing vibrant against the green of the bush, I couldn't help feeling a bittersweet tug that Daddy wasn't sitting next to me, seeing the sight we had so often talked about as I was growing up! I know he is excited for me and the boys that we are here and getting to see and experience it, I just wish he could be here, too :-) But I brought my FPI sweater, lol, it was the best way I could think of to bring him with me here ~~ haha, I wonder what he would think of that!
Well I am being stared at. I guess it's time for me to get off the computer and get my bush beating shoes on . . . we are off to explore Alice Springs :-)
The Blue Mountains are beautiful. We hiked all over the place -- it got to where when I saw stairs I started to whimper...I don't mind going down stairs so much, it's the going up that I can hardly handle! It's why I adamantly stay away from the StairMaster at the gym. When I go to the gym, that is. The boys were having a ball, though. Matt is destined to live in some mountain retreat, secluded and with a myriad of trails and paths to explore. We got a hop on/hop off bus pass while we were there. It allowed us to explore at our leisure, see the areas we wanted and catch a bus at any bus stop along the way. We had a fantastic driver, Jimmy. He was HYSTERICAL! There were many people from all over the world hopping on and off his bus and he did his level best to greet them in their native language, sometimes not quite getting it right, to the amusement of those who understood what he was saying, lol!
We returned to Sydney at half past 6pm and trekked back to where our hotel was located, stopping at a Spanish restaurant just across the street. It was such a lovely atmosphere inside, it reminded both Mark and I of Woolgrower's or Benji's - it had that kind of cozy feel. Mark and I had a most delicious wine, wish I could remember what it was called, lol, but damn me if it wasn't a good Spanish red! We were all feeling pretty knackered by the end of it, though. Mark and Matt have been working on getting sick and both of them hit the wall at dinner. I started to feel a little run down myself but knew that bed was far off for me...there was laundry to do, bags to get organized and packed, electronic doodads to charge....it seems never ending sometimes ;-)
We took off for the airport by way of taxi this morning and I think Sydney was mourning our leaving! It was the first day since we had been there that clouds covered the sky and while we were waiting for our flight it began to rain. See, sad to see us go.....we met a lovely American family that was MOVING to Alice Springs. He was a government contractor accountant for the Air Force and he received orders here. They have two daughters, one Matt's age and the other high school age. This is their first move overseas but they have traveled extensively their whole lives, lol, so this seemed to be very anti-climactic for them. We had fun chatting while we waited for our plane....apparently Alice Springs is considered a "hardship tour". I guess it just depends on who you ask....
My first view of the "Outback" brought tears to my eyes. I have thought about coming here since I first say The Man from Snowy River, lol. Daddy and I would talk about coming to Australia and backpacking through the Outback. As I gazed down on the limitless expanse of land, red dirt/clay showing vibrant against the green of the bush, I couldn't help feeling a bittersweet tug that Daddy wasn't sitting next to me, seeing the sight we had so often talked about as I was growing up! I know he is excited for me and the boys that we are here and getting to see and experience it, I just wish he could be here, too :-) But I brought my FPI sweater, lol, it was the best way I could think of to bring him with me here ~~ haha, I wonder what he would think of that!
Well I am being stared at. I guess it's time for me to get off the computer and get my bush beating shoes on . . . we are off to explore Alice Springs :-)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
And on and on we go ~~
Every day it seems we are out from early morning until evening, beating the pavement, trying to soak in and see as much of Sydney as we can. I think we are doing a pretty darn good job of it, too, lol! Yesterday, Tuesday, we were out bright and early and headed to the Royal Botanical Gardens. We re-traced our steps from days previous and headed through Hyde Park. I don't think it is possible to get tired of walking through Hyde Park, though maybe native Sydneyites might say otherwise. It is astonishingly beautiful.
But I hadn't seen the Royal Botanical Gardens yet.
Besides being HUGE and covering acres of area, the Botanical Gardens are absolutely stunning! There are a myriad of walk paths that meander up, down, and through the park. There are these gorgeous expanses of emerald green lawn where you are invited to lay and soak up the sun, sit on a blanket and eat your lunch at leisure -- or take a respite upon one of the many benches that dot the gardens, hidden among the huge ficus trees, or lined up beautifully under the rose arbors with their burden of buds dripping down around you, intoxicating you with their lovely scent. It is truly a beautiful and relaxing place. We walked all over on our way to view the Governor's House and then on to the steps of the Opera House. We could see the harbor through the trees and the view just took your breath away. If you can just imagine it; the sky so blue it hurts the eyes, the trees so green, their branches sweeping out and up, the rolling green lawn, the vibrant flowers dotting the landscape here and there, and the harbor glistening in the distance, the sun sparkling upon the water like a million diamonds, the ferries and sailboats crossing over the water, breaking up the view with their sails and wakes. Just fantastic!!
Mark and I were talking about how we couldn't have picked a better time to come -- the weather has been incredible, in the 60's, it just begs you to take advantage of it and stay out all day long, walking here and there, exploring along the way.
Along our walk in the gardens, we took a little dirt path that led you through "Australia's tropicals" -- all of a sudden one of the boys, I can't remember which, gasps and says, "LOOK! A bat!" We all look up and, sure enough, there was a fruit bat dangling from a branch off and to the left of us. Did you know that fruit bats are the biggest in the world? Little bit of trivia..I didn't know that. Anyway, Mark points a bit away from us and says to the boys, "Look over there, there are a bunch of them." I am trying to get situated so that I can get a picture of the cluster of bats when I happen to look directly over-head. HOLY HERA! There were a TON of bats just over-head!!! We were going crazy -- after we discovered the ones directly over us, our eyes were swinging every which way, spying bat after bat after bat. They were EVERYWHERE! It was awesome :-) I think I took about 30 pictures of the bats. I realized that was a wee bit excessive and narrowed it down to 5, lol. I even got one flying...the trees are blurry and he might be a bit as well (those suckers are FAST flyer's..no time to focus, lol!), but damn it, I got it!
We spent hours at the gardens. Watching the groups of runners as they ran in their packs of fellow physically conscientious mates (apparently they are office workers who run in these groups on their lunch break), enjoying the view from the many vantage points along the way, and generally, just soaking up the absolute perfection of the day. We ate lunch along Circular Quay, which is like the main ferry hub. Matthew ate KANGAROO!!! Yes, he did! I knew it would be him first...he's been talking about eating kangaroo since we started planning this trip. He said it was good, I guess it's a little tough, but whatever sauce they had it sitting in, was quite delish :-) I was content with my hamburger -- they put a pepper relish on it, which I must say, it was so tasty I could have eaten a bowl of it with a spoon, lol!
We got back to our hotel around 4 to take a little break. I have been working on getting rid of this gnarly head-ache. I can't seem to get rid of it completely. And it fully blooms in the late afternoon, so I really needed the break. Around 6pm we all got ready to head back out. We were going to head over to Luna Park, which is like the Coney Island pier, I guess, with the rides, games, etc....We waited at the ferry stop for about 20 minutes, enjoying the night air, the moonlight on the water, and the lovely conversation with two fellow Americans, a father and son, who were on the tail end of their trip here. They were very nice, and it was fun to talk about the different places we have seen and compare notes. The ferry showed up and we all walked on board. Mark heads to the ticket lady and says that we want round trip tickets to Luna Park and back -- the lady gives him a look and says, "Okay, but Luna Park is closed." Aw, shoot!!! Ha, guess we're not going to be doing that! I was absolutely fine with it, I don't mind saying. I wasn't too keen on going anyway, my head was still hurting and don't even get me started about the state of my poor feet!
We are headed to the Blue Mountains this morning by way of the train. It should take about 2 hours to get there, but I can't think of a better way to end our adventure in Sydney! We leave tomorrow morning for Alice Springs on our way to Ayers Rock....another adventure begins, lol! OUTBACK!!!!!
A few observations from the boys have been: Surprise that Sydney is so big. That there are so many big buildings. The amount of Asian influenced restaurants. And the general business of the city has been a surprise.
I think they thought that all of Australia is more like Havelock, tiny and not too busy. Lol, they couldn't have been more wrong! Talk about a busy place! And the shopping! I've talked about it, right!? OMG....it's a far cry from Target and Walmart shopping, let me tell you!
Well we are off...Blue Mountains here we come!
But I hadn't seen the Royal Botanical Gardens yet.
Besides being HUGE and covering acres of area, the Botanical Gardens are absolutely stunning! There are a myriad of walk paths that meander up, down, and through the park. There are these gorgeous expanses of emerald green lawn where you are invited to lay and soak up the sun, sit on a blanket and eat your lunch at leisure -- or take a respite upon one of the many benches that dot the gardens, hidden among the huge ficus trees, or lined up beautifully under the rose arbors with their burden of buds dripping down around you, intoxicating you with their lovely scent. It is truly a beautiful and relaxing place. We walked all over on our way to view the Governor's House and then on to the steps of the Opera House. We could see the harbor through the trees and the view just took your breath away. If you can just imagine it; the sky so blue it hurts the eyes, the trees so green, their branches sweeping out and up, the rolling green lawn, the vibrant flowers dotting the landscape here and there, and the harbor glistening in the distance, the sun sparkling upon the water like a million diamonds, the ferries and sailboats crossing over the water, breaking up the view with their sails and wakes. Just fantastic!!
Mark and I were talking about how we couldn't have picked a better time to come -- the weather has been incredible, in the 60's, it just begs you to take advantage of it and stay out all day long, walking here and there, exploring along the way.
Along our walk in the gardens, we took a little dirt path that led you through "Australia's tropicals" -- all of a sudden one of the boys, I can't remember which, gasps and says, "LOOK! A bat!" We all look up and, sure enough, there was a fruit bat dangling from a branch off and to the left of us. Did you know that fruit bats are the biggest in the world? Little bit of trivia..I didn't know that. Anyway, Mark points a bit away from us and says to the boys, "Look over there, there are a bunch of them." I am trying to get situated so that I can get a picture of the cluster of bats when I happen to look directly over-head. HOLY HERA! There were a TON of bats just over-head!!! We were going crazy -- after we discovered the ones directly over us, our eyes were swinging every which way, spying bat after bat after bat. They were EVERYWHERE! It was awesome :-) I think I took about 30 pictures of the bats. I realized that was a wee bit excessive and narrowed it down to 5, lol. I even got one flying...the trees are blurry and he might be a bit as well (those suckers are FAST flyer's..no time to focus, lol!), but damn it, I got it!
We spent hours at the gardens. Watching the groups of runners as they ran in their packs of fellow physically conscientious mates (apparently they are office workers who run in these groups on their lunch break), enjoying the view from the many vantage points along the way, and generally, just soaking up the absolute perfection of the day. We ate lunch along Circular Quay, which is like the main ferry hub. Matthew ate KANGAROO!!! Yes, he did! I knew it would be him first...he's been talking about eating kangaroo since we started planning this trip. He said it was good, I guess it's a little tough, but whatever sauce they had it sitting in, was quite delish :-) I was content with my hamburger -- they put a pepper relish on it, which I must say, it was so tasty I could have eaten a bowl of it with a spoon, lol!
We got back to our hotel around 4 to take a little break. I have been working on getting rid of this gnarly head-ache. I can't seem to get rid of it completely. And it fully blooms in the late afternoon, so I really needed the break. Around 6pm we all got ready to head back out. We were going to head over to Luna Park, which is like the Coney Island pier, I guess, with the rides, games, etc....We waited at the ferry stop for about 20 minutes, enjoying the night air, the moonlight on the water, and the lovely conversation with two fellow Americans, a father and son, who were on the tail end of their trip here. They were very nice, and it was fun to talk about the different places we have seen and compare notes. The ferry showed up and we all walked on board. Mark heads to the ticket lady and says that we want round trip tickets to Luna Park and back -- the lady gives him a look and says, "Okay, but Luna Park is closed." Aw, shoot!!! Ha, guess we're not going to be doing that! I was absolutely fine with it, I don't mind saying. I wasn't too keen on going anyway, my head was still hurting and don't even get me started about the state of my poor feet!
We are headed to the Blue Mountains this morning by way of the train. It should take about 2 hours to get there, but I can't think of a better way to end our adventure in Sydney! We leave tomorrow morning for Alice Springs on our way to Ayers Rock....another adventure begins, lol! OUTBACK!!!!!
A few observations from the boys have been: Surprise that Sydney is so big. That there are so many big buildings. The amount of Asian influenced restaurants. And the general business of the city has been a surprise.
I think they thought that all of Australia is more like Havelock, tiny and not too busy. Lol, they couldn't have been more wrong! Talk about a busy place! And the shopping! I've talked about it, right!? OMG....it's a far cry from Target and Walmart shopping, let me tell you!
Well we are off...Blue Mountains here we come!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Busy, busy, busy
I cannot believe we are on our 4th day here. Time seems to have slowed down...or maybe it is the jet-lag talking. I don't think I have quite gotten myself adjusted just yet. Lol, feeling loopy and off-balance is beginning to become a natural state of being.
I don't even remember what day I last posted anything. See. Loopy!
My dogs (feet) have beat the pavement all over Sydney. It is amazing all the things that are within walking distance of our apartment; Darling Harbor, Sydney Harbor, Hyde Park, Botanical Gardens, etc...
Saturday we took the ferry to Taronga Zoo. Quick little aside about riding the ferry: I totally felt like I was in some kind of movie, you know! This was the first time either John or I has been on a ferry and it was AWESOME! I know, I know, what is the big deal, right...it's just a boat ride. But it was the whole thing. Waiting for it to arrive, sitting outside on the deck, going to different pick-up/drop-off points along the way -- all of it together made for an awesome experience. We also saw Sydney Bridge and the Opera House from the ferry -- THAT was incredible! And I just love being on the water. The air was crisp, there were sail boats, ferries, cruise liners, and speed boats traversing back and forth along the harbor, the sky was super blue and everything just looked so lush and perfect. Like a post card really.
Taronga Zoo. INCREDIBLE!! I have been to quite a few zoos in my lifetime, courtesy of my animal loving son, John, and I have to say, thus far, Taronga Zoo is my absolute favorite! You can't beat the beauty of the grounds, or it's amazing view..it looks out over the Sydney Harbor towards the skyline of downtown Sydney, but more than that, the animals are so, well, active! I'm not kidding...and very up front and present. I am so used to watching animals snooze in the sun or trying to spy them out of their habitats, that to see the animals at this zoo so, I don't know, there...well, it was a real treat. Towards the end of our day at the zoo we went to the Australia trail area -- WOW. You walked along a path and right there, not behind walls or fences, are Wallabies, Kangaroos and Emu's. Just right there! It was HYSTERICAL...the emu moved toward this one kangaroo and the kangaroo immediately hopped back on its tail and put up his front paws -- feisty, feisty. The emu backed up a bit and the kangaroo lowered himself but it kept a wary eye out on the emu. You could see the suspicion in his eyes. I told the boys to keep watching the kangaroo because I had a feeling he was going to do something and, wouldn't you know it, before I could finish speaking that darn kangaroo exploded into action and pounced on the emu! OMG, I laughed hysterically -- it was so funny! That emu took off like a shot, lol!
We ate dinner that night at a place called, Jordan's. It is a seafood restaurant on the wharf of Darling Harbor. Matt and Mark got the deluxe seafood platter for two and damn, I wish I had taken a picture of it --- talk about artsy presentation! It was chocker block full of seafood; BBQ octopus (which John ate most of), naked oysters, calamari, HUGE prawns on sticks, oysters baked with bacon, the biggest mussels I have ever seen, John Dory fried fish, and, to top it all off, a basket of fries (that was my favorite, lol!). I don't even remember what I had -- theirs was so spectacular, everything else paled in comparison.
Yesterday (Sunday) was another great day. From 9am to 5:30pm, we were out and about, beating the pavement. We went to the Anzoc War Memorial/Pool of Reflection, Hyde Park where the boys climbed the most perfect climbing trees EVER, the Australian Museum and St. Mary's Cathedral, the first Catholic Church in Australia. I actually attended the 10:30 mass while Mark and the boys did some exploring. I have to say, this church is stunning. It is fashioned in the Gothic style and the interior is just amazing. It has the most amazing stained-glass windows, and the depictions of the stations of the cross are more than I can find words for. But more than the beauty of the church (which was truly incredible!), the mass was, oh my gosh, it was fantastic. The altar servers, men's choir, priest and bishop, process through the church as the organ plays and the choir sings. In latin! I had chills the entire time. And, I am not ashamed to admit it, tears. The mass begins with the congregation reciting the act of contrition. After every reading the choir sings -- their voices, these men's voices, joined together so beautifully...it was, it FELT Holy, if that makes any sense. The sound of their voices, raised in song, is something I will never forget . . . I have never heard anything like it. It was a special Mass as they are about to have their first Saint canonized. The first ever for Australia. Pretty awesome! I was so glad I was able to attend that mass and only wish that Mark and the boys had gone with me...I can't find quite the right words, or way, to express how wonderful it was.
Today is on-going, lol. We have gone to the Aquarium at Darling Harbor and it was fabulous, but both Mark and I are not feeling all that well. We both woke up this morning feeling extra loopy. So after lunch, which we had sitting out on the wharf watching the boats and ferries, we headed back to the apartment. Which is why I am updating now :-) Mark is napping, the boys are reading and I, I am, of course, on the computer!!
I am pretty darn positive I have forgotten some things -- funny things the kids have said or done, observations we have all made, but presently I am working on a sugar crash and am not able to really focus, lol. As I have been typing I have been snacking on the Sour Patch Kids I stole from Matthew, ssshh, don't tell!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Day 2 Down Under begins....
All I can say is, Wow! So far, Australia has not disappointed!! Granted, we haven't relly done much just yet, jet-lag sure did catch up with us yesterday, lol. We spent our day, well it felt like much of the day, but really turned out not to be -- anyway, we spent our time yesterday just walking and getting our bearings. We are just a walk away from Darling Harbour, which is lovely. It doesn't take much for me, water, some boats, a beautiful blue sky and a gorgeous breeze...yep, all the ingredients necessary to make me on happy camper! The walk bridge over the Darling Harbor leads you to this lovely outdoor eatery/shopping center area. And when I say eatery, throw out ALL your ideas of mall type food. Holy cow...! YES, yes, yes! There were so many restaurants, so many different style cuisines, it was amazing. We ended up not eating at one of the wharf restaurants but instead went inside and ate at one of the many "food court" style places. It was incredible. Mark and Matt had Thai food, John and I had Greek food -- I tried to take a picture of these standing, rotating things of roasted meat, but they kept giving me a funny look, ha! However, my meal had some of that roasting meat in it and let me tell you - DELISH!
Our biggest odyssey thus far has been finding a store that sold clothing for the boys. We needed to get them jammies. We walked and walked and walked. We walked in to, I cannot begin to tell you how many stores, looking for just some pair of pants that would work for jammies. We finally found something at the Dollar Souvenoir shop in the World Market shopping center right around the corner of our hotel. The grocery store was also there among all the wonderful stores. And trust me, the shopping here is INSANE! I saw a jewelry store that had a whole window display of the loveliest opals ~~ I was drooling. And the clothing stores -- a woman's dream!
By the time we zipped in to the grocery store, I was feeling over the top tired. I had hit the wall and unfortunately, the boys felt the effects of that ... Mom was grumpy, lol! You know what I love about grocery shopping in other countries? I love seeing the different things that are done with foods that are familiar to me. Like cereals, for example. I got us some individual bowls of ready cereal and this morning I ate the Kellog's Just Right. It was very similar to a cereal I have had before, but here, they have added little bits, like dried apricots, currants, and rye puffs. DELISH! We also grabbed a fruit called Dragonfruit ~~ when opened up it looks like a dark red Kiwi. We didn't know what it was supposed to taste like and discovered it doesn't have much of a taste. I don't know if that is how it is supposed to taste or not, lol, but that is what we discovered.
On our adventure walk yesterday I noticed quite a few wine shops (thank you!) and thought aloud that maybe they sell there alcohol in separate locations, not like the majority of the States where you can get it all in one stop shopping. I do believe I was right in my thinking, as the liquour store was next door to the grocery store. We were pretty laden down with some essentials so I just grabbed a six pack of Fat Yak, it is a pale ale and quite delicious and a bottle of Shiraz/Cabernet. Funny thing, I noticed that all the wine was screw top. Even the most expensive wine in the place was a screw top. Good thing for us, as I don't travel with a wine opener. Probably should, lol, but I don't!
Matt went to bed last night at 5pm Aussie time, without eating dinner, he was so darn tired, he had gotten way past loopy and was working on crazy. The rest of us followed around 6:30. When we put John to bed, Matt woke up (not really) and started talking craziness. I had forgotten that when Matt gets really tired he talks in his sleep, lol. I think that we all pretty much fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows! I woke up at 12am fully awake, lol. I managed to all back asleep, but woke up every 2 hours after until finally getting up at 6am. The boys were already up, having been awake since 4am. I am hoping that though every one got up early today, our bodies have re-set themselves and we will be on a more natural rythmn -- I hope!
Everyone is waiting for me to get off the computer and get ready to go....wait, maybe not, Mark just dropped down to the ground and is doing push-ups! Dear dog!!!
We are headed to the Taronga Zoo by way of the ferry and seeing the Chinese Gardens along the way today. Well, that is the plan so far. Can't wait to get under way :-)
Talk to ya'll later...I will try to post some pictures as well!
Love,
Kells
Our biggest odyssey thus far has been finding a store that sold clothing for the boys. We needed to get them jammies. We walked and walked and walked. We walked in to, I cannot begin to tell you how many stores, looking for just some pair of pants that would work for jammies. We finally found something at the Dollar Souvenoir shop in the World Market shopping center right around the corner of our hotel. The grocery store was also there among all the wonderful stores. And trust me, the shopping here is INSANE! I saw a jewelry store that had a whole window display of the loveliest opals ~~ I was drooling. And the clothing stores -- a woman's dream!
By the time we zipped in to the grocery store, I was feeling over the top tired. I had hit the wall and unfortunately, the boys felt the effects of that ... Mom was grumpy, lol! You know what I love about grocery shopping in other countries? I love seeing the different things that are done with foods that are familiar to me. Like cereals, for example. I got us some individual bowls of ready cereal and this morning I ate the Kellog's Just Right. It was very similar to a cereal I have had before, but here, they have added little bits, like dried apricots, currants, and rye puffs. DELISH! We also grabbed a fruit called Dragonfruit ~~ when opened up it looks like a dark red Kiwi. We didn't know what it was supposed to taste like and discovered it doesn't have much of a taste. I don't know if that is how it is supposed to taste or not, lol, but that is what we discovered.
On our adventure walk yesterday I noticed quite a few wine shops (thank you!) and thought aloud that maybe they sell there alcohol in separate locations, not like the majority of the States where you can get it all in one stop shopping. I do believe I was right in my thinking, as the liquour store was next door to the grocery store. We were pretty laden down with some essentials so I just grabbed a six pack of Fat Yak, it is a pale ale and quite delicious and a bottle of Shiraz/Cabernet. Funny thing, I noticed that all the wine was screw top. Even the most expensive wine in the place was a screw top. Good thing for us, as I don't travel with a wine opener. Probably should, lol, but I don't!
Matt went to bed last night at 5pm Aussie time, without eating dinner, he was so darn tired, he had gotten way past loopy and was working on crazy. The rest of us followed around 6:30. When we put John to bed, Matt woke up (not really) and started talking craziness. I had forgotten that when Matt gets really tired he talks in his sleep, lol. I think that we all pretty much fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows! I woke up at 12am fully awake, lol. I managed to all back asleep, but woke up every 2 hours after until finally getting up at 6am. The boys were already up, having been awake since 4am. I am hoping that though every one got up early today, our bodies have re-set themselves and we will be on a more natural rythmn -- I hope!
Everyone is waiting for me to get off the computer and get ready to go....wait, maybe not, Mark just dropped down to the ground and is doing push-ups! Dear dog!!!
We are headed to the Taronga Zoo by way of the ferry and seeing the Chinese Gardens along the way today. Well, that is the plan so far. Can't wait to get under way :-)
Talk to ya'll later...I will try to post some pictures as well!
Love,
Kells
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Holy Hera! We are HERE :-)
My, my, my....let me tell you - an overseas trip is not for the faint of heart, no sirree bob! Yesterday, or, two days ago, I guess...we got to Charlotte International and the friendly US Airways ticketing agent ~~ can you really call her a ticketing agent when she doesn't even issue you your ticket or boarding pass, I wonder. Anyway, she was friendly, but her English was almost impossible to understand. I wanted to know why we didn't have our boarding passes for Qantas and what would we have to do in LAX to get them...she told me but I walked away asking Mark, "did you understand what she just said?" He claimed he did...on we went. We were SUPER early, which I don't mind, traveling stressing me out so if I can be at my gate nice and early I am all the more calm. Mark, however, does not want to sit on his laurels any longer than he must...again, our travel personalities do not mesh all that well. We were one of the last to board the plane, Zone 5, it's a bitch, and they told me I had to check my carry-on at the door as there was no more overhead compartment space. I was not happy. My carry-on had my camera, lenses, a friend's lens and the boys dvd player. I grabbed out my camera backpack and handed the suitcase over to the handler. Now, ordinarily what happens with something that gets checked at the door is that it gets put pack at the door upon landing at your destination. Ordinarily. That didn't happen this time. I stood waiting...and waiting...and waiting. We had less than 1 1/2 hours to figure out where we were supposed to go to get our Qantas boarding passes and I didn't want to dilly-dally waiting for this luggage, HOWEVER, I NEEDED it because all of our confirmations were in the pocket. Confirmations for our hotels, our car rentals, our flights...I NEEDED it. They told me to go down to baggage and talk to the agent there and they could pull it off for me.
No they couldn't.
She told me that she could take my information and they could send it on to me, and then she lectured me saying that I should already be checked in for my flight on Qantas. "How," I asked her, "when US Airways said they couldn't check us through and we only just landed?" She told me that the carosel could take up to 20 minutes to begin...I am not going to lie, I started panicking. I don't like rushing. I don't like sqeaking by. I know. It's lame. I feel lame as I am doing - but I can't seem to help myself. Luckily the carousel started not too long after my failed encounter with the baggage attendant. Interestingly enough, and I think, not surprising, my bag was NOT one of the first ones down....nope, of course it wasn't. But it did come down and we ran, I am not kidding, Mark, the boys and I hauled ASS outside to hunt down Bus "A". As soon as we got to the Tom Bradley terminal, I think it is called, we hauled ass inside and guess what? What do I hear as we are racing towards the Qantas ticketing agents....our names being called over the P.A.! Yea, our names. Saying we are needed "garbble,garbble, garbble...." WTF, did they just say!? Where are we supposed to go!?!? My stress level seriously hit the roof. It was after 9pm and they were boarding at 9:45, we didn't have our boarding passes, we hadn't gone through security...I was about to hit the roof. I tell Mark, yes, I TOLD him, to get up to the ticket agent and tell her that our names were just called -- holy hell, you should have seen the look he gave me! If looks could kill, I would be re-telling this from my spot in Hell right now, instead of the lovely apartment I am currently sitting in in downtown Sydney, Australia :-) If you are wondering why I wasn't going up to the ticket agent myself, it is because I was looking for someone to ask that was near me...thinking we could double up and conquer. He wasn't aware of my thought process. It turns out we were being paged because we WERE checked through we just didn't have our boarding passes and our passports hadn't been scanned. Whatever, it got dealt with and we headed to security. We got through security and while the boys were busy putting back on belts and shoes, I told Mark that I was going to the currency exchange to get our money switched over. I walked about 15 steps when all of a sudden the TSA agents let out a REALLY loud shout and several took of running in different directions. We all had to stand still and everything shut down. Are you freaking kidding me!?!?!? It was a drill, but dammit, it was cutting in to my available time to get things accomplished before taking off!!
We arrived at our gate right on time. Yes, yes, yes, all that worry, stress and overreacting for nothing...but let's face it, I am my Momma's daughter at times like these :-) Fun thing, though, as we were waiting for Mark outside a little cafe, Lionel Ritchie walked passed me!!! LIONEL!!!! I never see famous people - EVER, so it was a hoot to see him. Plus, I had been listening to some of his music on the flight to LAX. Good times.
We boarded for Sydney at 1:30am NC time. Almost as soon as we got to cruising altitude, John was out like a light. I struggled to sleep. It was so hard to get comfortable, there just isn't enough leg room, and let's face it, sleeping upright isn't too comfortable in and of itself. Mark and Matt were seating in front of John and I and it looked as if they were settled in quite nice. John and I slept through dinner service, which really upset John when he awoke, lol, he cracked me up with his dramatics about being left out of dinner. We had the window and middle seat and I have to say, I started to feel sorry for our aisle Aussie seat mate. We tried our best to not disturb him too much, but damn me, 15hrs on a plane is a LONG time and even though our bathroom breaks were not all that often, I still felt bad. Oh, but my goodness, my legs got so swollen!!! They still are, as a matter of fact. I hate to be an alarmist, but I dare say I may have to watch out for DVT ~~ and let me tell you, feeling your legs swelling only adds to the discomfort of coach seating on a LONG plane trip. I am going to have to figure something out to do about the swelling - we are going to be flying quite a bit in the next two months....and I don't think this is good. I may google it after I am done here.
We landed at 6am, Friday, June 11th (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Momma), though it is Thursday for ya'll. It was nice to be on the ground. Matter of fact, quite the cheer went up when those wheels touched down, lol. I don't think we were the only ones feeling the relief of the end of the long trip. Immigration and Customs were a walk in the park, thank the good Lord! However, for all my preparing and setting up shuttle service ahead of time, we waited over an HOUR for our shuttle to get us to our hotel. Mark tells me in the shuttle that there is no way in hell we are going to take the shuttle back to the airport on the 17th when we leave for Alice Springs, lol, can't say that I blame him. I think it will be a taxi getting that privilege, ha!
Our hotel is AWESOME!!! We are staying at the Meriton Serviced Apartments on Kent St. near Darling Harbour. We are on the 41st floor and have a kitchen, washer/dryer, and two bedrooms with king beds, as well as a separate living room area. We have a lovely balcony (that is making Mark and Matt get a touch of verdigo) that has outdoor seating/eating area. LOVELY! And the weather. OMG, the weather is fantastic! So nice and cool, beautiful blue sky and a nice breeze. Gorgeous!
We haven't done any exploring as of yet. We got in and settled. Mark is feeling the effects of the traveling, I think. He is feeling pretty hazy. I am too, I can't deny it, but I am itching to get out and see what is to be seen....plus, I don't want to sleep until closer to Australia night time -- Amy and I did that in Ireland and I think that is why we were able to function so well so quickly. I don't know if there is any proof or fact in what I am saying, but I believe it and so will do it, lol!
I can't wait to get some pictures and share them with you all :-)
Oh! So cute. A must share. When we were walking out of the airport to our shuttle, John saw a pigeon walking on the sidewalk. This is our conversation:
John: "Mom, did you see that pigeon!"
Me: "I did, John. I sure did...he was cute."
John: "I mean, Mom, it's like, even the pigeons are different here, you know. I mean, most pigeons when you walk by them they will fly away, but this pigeon here in Australia, just kept walking on the sidwalk. It's like it didn't even notice us, Mom!"
*note* all this time, John is walking with his suitcase trailing behind him in one hand and gesticulating wildly with the other. And his face is alive with the possibility of an Australian pigeon being so very different than an American pigeon.
Mom: "Well, John, the Aussies are known for their friendliness, it only stands to reason that their pigeons would be, too."
John: "Yea, I bet you're right, Mom."
Gawd, I love that boy!!
Until later ~~~~~~~~
No they couldn't.
She told me that she could take my information and they could send it on to me, and then she lectured me saying that I should already be checked in for my flight on Qantas. "How," I asked her, "when US Airways said they couldn't check us through and we only just landed?" She told me that the carosel could take up to 20 minutes to begin...I am not going to lie, I started panicking. I don't like rushing. I don't like sqeaking by. I know. It's lame. I feel lame as I am doing - but I can't seem to help myself. Luckily the carousel started not too long after my failed encounter with the baggage attendant. Interestingly enough, and I think, not surprising, my bag was NOT one of the first ones down....nope, of course it wasn't. But it did come down and we ran, I am not kidding, Mark, the boys and I hauled ASS outside to hunt down Bus "A". As soon as we got to the Tom Bradley terminal, I think it is called, we hauled ass inside and guess what? What do I hear as we are racing towards the Qantas ticketing agents....our names being called over the P.A.! Yea, our names. Saying we are needed "garbble,garbble, garbble...." WTF, did they just say!? Where are we supposed to go!?!? My stress level seriously hit the roof. It was after 9pm and they were boarding at 9:45, we didn't have our boarding passes, we hadn't gone through security...I was about to hit the roof. I tell Mark, yes, I TOLD him, to get up to the ticket agent and tell her that our names were just called -- holy hell, you should have seen the look he gave me! If looks could kill, I would be re-telling this from my spot in Hell right now, instead of the lovely apartment I am currently sitting in in downtown Sydney, Australia :-) If you are wondering why I wasn't going up to the ticket agent myself, it is because I was looking for someone to ask that was near me...thinking we could double up and conquer. He wasn't aware of my thought process. It turns out we were being paged because we WERE checked through we just didn't have our boarding passes and our passports hadn't been scanned. Whatever, it got dealt with and we headed to security. We got through security and while the boys were busy putting back on belts and shoes, I told Mark that I was going to the currency exchange to get our money switched over. I walked about 15 steps when all of a sudden the TSA agents let out a REALLY loud shout and several took of running in different directions. We all had to stand still and everything shut down. Are you freaking kidding me!?!?!? It was a drill, but dammit, it was cutting in to my available time to get things accomplished before taking off!!
We arrived at our gate right on time. Yes, yes, yes, all that worry, stress and overreacting for nothing...but let's face it, I am my Momma's daughter at times like these :-) Fun thing, though, as we were waiting for Mark outside a little cafe, Lionel Ritchie walked passed me!!! LIONEL!!!! I never see famous people - EVER, so it was a hoot to see him. Plus, I had been listening to some of his music on the flight to LAX. Good times.
We boarded for Sydney at 1:30am NC time. Almost as soon as we got to cruising altitude, John was out like a light. I struggled to sleep. It was so hard to get comfortable, there just isn't enough leg room, and let's face it, sleeping upright isn't too comfortable in and of itself. Mark and Matt were seating in front of John and I and it looked as if they were settled in quite nice. John and I slept through dinner service, which really upset John when he awoke, lol, he cracked me up with his dramatics about being left out of dinner. We had the window and middle seat and I have to say, I started to feel sorry for our aisle Aussie seat mate. We tried our best to not disturb him too much, but damn me, 15hrs on a plane is a LONG time and even though our bathroom breaks were not all that often, I still felt bad. Oh, but my goodness, my legs got so swollen!!! They still are, as a matter of fact. I hate to be an alarmist, but I dare say I may have to watch out for DVT ~~ and let me tell you, feeling your legs swelling only adds to the discomfort of coach seating on a LONG plane trip. I am going to have to figure something out to do about the swelling - we are going to be flying quite a bit in the next two months....and I don't think this is good. I may google it after I am done here.
We landed at 6am, Friday, June 11th (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Momma), though it is Thursday for ya'll. It was nice to be on the ground. Matter of fact, quite the cheer went up when those wheels touched down, lol. I don't think we were the only ones feeling the relief of the end of the long trip. Immigration and Customs were a walk in the park, thank the good Lord! However, for all my preparing and setting up shuttle service ahead of time, we waited over an HOUR for our shuttle to get us to our hotel. Mark tells me in the shuttle that there is no way in hell we are going to take the shuttle back to the airport on the 17th when we leave for Alice Springs, lol, can't say that I blame him. I think it will be a taxi getting that privilege, ha!
Our hotel is AWESOME!!! We are staying at the Meriton Serviced Apartments on Kent St. near Darling Harbour. We are on the 41st floor and have a kitchen, washer/dryer, and two bedrooms with king beds, as well as a separate living room area. We have a lovely balcony (that is making Mark and Matt get a touch of verdigo) that has outdoor seating/eating area. LOVELY! And the weather. OMG, the weather is fantastic! So nice and cool, beautiful blue sky and a nice breeze. Gorgeous!
We haven't done any exploring as of yet. We got in and settled. Mark is feeling the effects of the traveling, I think. He is feeling pretty hazy. I am too, I can't deny it, but I am itching to get out and see what is to be seen....plus, I don't want to sleep until closer to Australia night time -- Amy and I did that in Ireland and I think that is why we were able to function so well so quickly. I don't know if there is any proof or fact in what I am saying, but I believe it and so will do it, lol!
I can't wait to get some pictures and share them with you all :-)
Oh! So cute. A must share. When we were walking out of the airport to our shuttle, John saw a pigeon walking on the sidewalk. This is our conversation:
John: "Mom, did you see that pigeon!"
Me: "I did, John. I sure did...he was cute."
John: "I mean, Mom, it's like, even the pigeons are different here, you know. I mean, most pigeons when you walk by them they will fly away, but this pigeon here in Australia, just kept walking on the sidwalk. It's like it didn't even notice us, Mom!"
*note* all this time, John is walking with his suitcase trailing behind him in one hand and gesticulating wildly with the other. And his face is alive with the possibility of an Australian pigeon being so very different than an American pigeon.
Mom: "Well, John, the Aussies are known for their friendliness, it only stands to reason that their pigeons would be, too."
John: "Yea, I bet you're right, Mom."
Gawd, I love that boy!!
Until later ~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
It's not as easy as one would think.....
Wow. Who knew trying to get on the road for a trip would be so difficult? I guess I should have known....anytime we travel with Mark it never goes as smoothly as I would like. Is it Mark? I think more than just him, it's the combination of our "travel" personalities (they don't mesh, lol) and his kind of scatterbrained nature. Love him as I do, that man is often floating in many directions!
I admit, I am a bit hard to deal with when preparing for a trip. There is so much to do, you know. And I am so focused on getting it all accomplished. Often without anyone helping, which only aides in making the stress I feel about an upcoming trip (especially if it is one that involves flying!) skyrocket to astonishing levels. But that is really neither here nor there. I admit it. I am here admitting it ~~~ I am hard to deal with when getting ready for a trip. I would LOVE it if everyone would just DO what I am saying/asking and not quibble over the way I said/asked......I would have an easier time of spotting a unicorn leaping over a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, than see that happen, ha!
We were pretty much ready to go, but for a few last minute things. Kapperz G would be so proud of her little girl...that house was left so clean it looked like a model home, yea me! I had the boys putting away the last of the dishes while I was booking a hotel for us near the airport and putting our mail on hold -- all things that I kept forgetting to do while I was focused on getting everything else done, lol! Mark gets home and finishes up his packing, but while he is doing that discovers things (work stuff) that he needs to take care of before we leave. I won't go on and on and on about how this was something he had been sitting on for WEEKS and just never made it a priority in his life, but, given what I just said, I am sure my feelings are pretty obvious. Oh! I also had to call on his Az vehicle registration...we are supposed to get a discount and it didn't show, right. So I call and find out that there is some form that needs to be sent in every year with the registration and payment....gggrr! I download the form, print it and start to fill it out -- it has to be NOTARIZED....and signed by his C.O.!! Are you freaking kidding me?!?!? Ugh, oh well. We were already going to be delayed because of the other work errand Mark had to see to, oh well, better to get it done and on its way before we leave ... that way I don't have to worry about it on VACATION, heck yea!
As we are wrapping things up at home, Mark comes in and says that he still needs to go by Sprint to get his contacts from his old phone switched over to his new phone -- I went and got the both of us new phones the day before but since he wasn't with me at the time, well, you know how that goes. So, he has to get that done, which takes about 20 minutes for the switch of contacts and the update....AND we have to go get a piece of paper notarized then signed by his C.O., and we have to go by the post office so he can mail off what he has been sitting on for weeks now. The day is starting to slip right on by.
Okay. It's done. Paper is notarized, signed, and in the mail with the fee and registration form, the work thing is in the mail and the phone has been dropped off at Sprint. FINALLY, my starving children may eat -- it's after 2pm at this point.
Things calmed down at lunch. My stress level went way down as my cholesterol level went WAY up -- Crabby Patty's....man, FRIED everything. Even Twinkies!!! But 3 Diet Pepsi's later and I was a shiny, happy person who didn't have a care in the world. Caffeine...YES!
Of course things didn't go smoothly when we went to pick up Marks phone. Why would they!? We were there for over an HOUR trying to get things worked out....it's after 4 at this point. Our "leaving by noon" has obviously been shot to hell. Once that all got figured out, we gassed up and headed out ---- and yes, we actually got out of Havelock, then New Bern, and before you knew it, we could safely say we were on our way!!! Yip, yip :-)
It's not a bad drive, as long drives go, to Charlotte. And our phones have GPS, so I plugged our hotel in and let our guide do all the work, lol. The boys were watching movies, Mark and I were wrestling for station control on the XM, all was good. Do you expect a curve ball here? Nah, things were pretty smooth. UNTIL...Matt tells me how bad his throat is hurting. That it has been hurting since he woke up and is getting worse. Nooooooo!!! I told him, "I'm sorry, but no one is getting sick! You just tell your body, NO!" He looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I am, but dammit, some kids we knew JUST got over a horrible bought with strep throat --- I do NOT want to have Matt go through that while in another country, no thank you! I tell Mark that when we stop for dinner I want to find a drugstore and get some Tylenol, throat soothers, vitamin C, and whatever else I might find that could help to ease the throat issue. He looked at me like I was crazy. I think the "look" is contagious. Once one person gets it, it spreads like wildfire on a windy day!
We stopped for dinner 40 miles outside of Charlotte, poor John was "starving" -- the way he acts you would think we ration his food intake, lol. Anyway, across from Applebee's was, yea, Walgreens!!! After we ordered, John and I hustled on over and got what I needed --
OH! did I tell you that during the drive that was smooth and really not worth noting, I had two light bulbs go off!? The first one had to do with the kids' jammies. I had washed them and put them in the dryer in the morning. I thought I heard Mark open the dryer door and put the clothes on the couch (this was while I am on the computer getting the Az registration figured out, the hotel we are staying at booked,etc...my mind is not fully focused on what else is going on in the house). I tell the boys to fold the clothes and put them away. It isn't until we are on the road, HOURS from home that I think to ask, "did you make sure to put your jammies in your suitcases after you folded them?" We all know what the answer to that is...NO. Apparently Mark didn't take the clothes out, just a pair of his shorts and blue blanket, that is Johns blanket. Gggrr. Oh well. My fault. I should have remembered. The second light bulb was this...."do we need an international license to drive in Australia?" This one was a doozy, because I had booked two rental cars, one in Alice Springs and one in Brisbane -- we are going to be SCREWED if it turns out we need an international driving license.
Dinner was nice. It was nice to get out of the car. Woody, our friendly Applebee's waiter was VERY friendly. He liked to chat it up, which doesn't bother me a whit but by the look on Marks face, he wasn't having it, lol! When Woody brought up the Ospry and wanted to know what Mark thought of it and then steam-rolled over him with all of his thoughts about the Ospry, I thought Mark was going to lose it. You could visibly see him shutting down....too funny!
While at dinner, my GPS shut down on my phone and for all that I tried, I couldn't get it back up once back on the road. It kept telling me there wasn't a GPS signal for all that I had full service. It wasn't that big of a problem...we knew our exit, but that was about it. I thought it would be simple...you can usually see the hotels from the road and there are always signs. Hahahahaha -- yea, that's me, laughing! I told Mark I remembered from the directions that we need to head left off the exit. So we do. And we drive. And we drive. And we drive. Just as I am about to tell him to turn around, I see an exit sign with a name I remember from the directions. "TAKE THAT exit", I yell at him, pointing madly! He takes it and it can go right or left. He takes left. I didn't tell him to go left. As he went left, I said, I think we're supposed to go right. I won't repeat what was said under his breath. We commit and are going left (we should be going right...), finally he says, "why don't you call them, you have the number, right?" DUH....lol, I completely forgot I had the number written down. I call them and guess what, we should have gone right! After that we found them without a problem. It was 10:30pm by the time we got to our room. The boys, resigned to sleeping in their underwear, got their teeth brushed, put their respective mouth appliances in, and settled down for some late night reading. I played on my phone for a bit and googled driving in Australia -- I was relieved to find that as long as ones driver's license is in English, you may use the license of your country to drive about Australia! YEA...phew! Things are clicking into place :-)
Mark is not having such a great time of it. While on the road he received a phone call from work. He needed to get something written up and sent to someone and he promised it would be done that night. The hotel internet connection was giving him fits, as well as the website he was trying to work on.....frustration was oozing out of every pore. That poor man. When he couldn't take it another minute, he picks up the phone and says to me, "Honey do you want a beverage?" "Sure," I say. He dials. The phone rings and rings on the other end. His knuckles are getting white on the phone handle. I pick up the room service menu just as he slams down the phone and growls, "well room service isn't picking up!" I look at the menu, room service from 11am-11pm. I look at the clock, it's 11:35pm. Denied!
Matt decided to sleep on the pull out couch while John and I took one of the double beds and Mark had the other. We were all abed by 12:30, and I must say, I was completely knackered. It is currently 10:26am and both Mark and John are still asleep. Good, they need it.
Luckily we are near a shopping center so we are going to head out and get the boys some jammies today before flying out. And Matt is feeling better -- I dosed him last night with vitamin C and Tylenol, so I hope that continues to be the case.
As I sit here typing, I feel the enormity of our trip looming over me. The base of my spine is tingling and a whole garden of butterflies is flapping away in my belly. It'll be great. I know it will. I just need to get at cruising altitude.......
I admit, I am a bit hard to deal with when preparing for a trip. There is so much to do, you know. And I am so focused on getting it all accomplished. Often without anyone helping, which only aides in making the stress I feel about an upcoming trip (especially if it is one that involves flying!) skyrocket to astonishing levels. But that is really neither here nor there. I admit it. I am here admitting it ~~~ I am hard to deal with when getting ready for a trip. I would LOVE it if everyone would just DO what I am saying/asking and not quibble over the way I said/asked......I would have an easier time of spotting a unicorn leaping over a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, than see that happen, ha!
We were pretty much ready to go, but for a few last minute things. Kapperz G would be so proud of her little girl...that house was left so clean it looked like a model home, yea me! I had the boys putting away the last of the dishes while I was booking a hotel for us near the airport and putting our mail on hold -- all things that I kept forgetting to do while I was focused on getting everything else done, lol! Mark gets home and finishes up his packing, but while he is doing that discovers things (work stuff) that he needs to take care of before we leave. I won't go on and on and on about how this was something he had been sitting on for WEEKS and just never made it a priority in his life, but, given what I just said, I am sure my feelings are pretty obvious. Oh! I also had to call on his Az vehicle registration...we are supposed to get a discount and it didn't show, right. So I call and find out that there is some form that needs to be sent in every year with the registration and payment....gggrr! I download the form, print it and start to fill it out -- it has to be NOTARIZED....and signed by his C.O.!! Are you freaking kidding me?!?!? Ugh, oh well. We were already going to be delayed because of the other work errand Mark had to see to, oh well, better to get it done and on its way before we leave ... that way I don't have to worry about it on VACATION, heck yea!
As we are wrapping things up at home, Mark comes in and says that he still needs to go by Sprint to get his contacts from his old phone switched over to his new phone -- I went and got the both of us new phones the day before but since he wasn't with me at the time, well, you know how that goes. So, he has to get that done, which takes about 20 minutes for the switch of contacts and the update....AND we have to go get a piece of paper notarized then signed by his C.O., and we have to go by the post office so he can mail off what he has been sitting on for weeks now. The day is starting to slip right on by.
Okay. It's done. Paper is notarized, signed, and in the mail with the fee and registration form, the work thing is in the mail and the phone has been dropped off at Sprint. FINALLY, my starving children may eat -- it's after 2pm at this point.
Things calmed down at lunch. My stress level went way down as my cholesterol level went WAY up -- Crabby Patty's....man, FRIED everything. Even Twinkies!!! But 3 Diet Pepsi's later and I was a shiny, happy person who didn't have a care in the world. Caffeine...YES!
Of course things didn't go smoothly when we went to pick up Marks phone. Why would they!? We were there for over an HOUR trying to get things worked out....it's after 4 at this point. Our "leaving by noon" has obviously been shot to hell. Once that all got figured out, we gassed up and headed out ---- and yes, we actually got out of Havelock, then New Bern, and before you knew it, we could safely say we were on our way!!! Yip, yip :-)
It's not a bad drive, as long drives go, to Charlotte. And our phones have GPS, so I plugged our hotel in and let our guide do all the work, lol. The boys were watching movies, Mark and I were wrestling for station control on the XM, all was good. Do you expect a curve ball here? Nah, things were pretty smooth. UNTIL...Matt tells me how bad his throat is hurting. That it has been hurting since he woke up and is getting worse. Nooooooo!!! I told him, "I'm sorry, but no one is getting sick! You just tell your body, NO!" He looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I am, but dammit, some kids we knew JUST got over a horrible bought with strep throat --- I do NOT want to have Matt go through that while in another country, no thank you! I tell Mark that when we stop for dinner I want to find a drugstore and get some Tylenol, throat soothers, vitamin C, and whatever else I might find that could help to ease the throat issue. He looked at me like I was crazy. I think the "look" is contagious. Once one person gets it, it spreads like wildfire on a windy day!
We stopped for dinner 40 miles outside of Charlotte, poor John was "starving" -- the way he acts you would think we ration his food intake, lol. Anyway, across from Applebee's was, yea, Walgreens!!! After we ordered, John and I hustled on over and got what I needed --
OH! did I tell you that during the drive that was smooth and really not worth noting, I had two light bulbs go off!? The first one had to do with the kids' jammies. I had washed them and put them in the dryer in the morning. I thought I heard Mark open the dryer door and put the clothes on the couch (this was while I am on the computer getting the Az registration figured out, the hotel we are staying at booked,etc...my mind is not fully focused on what else is going on in the house). I tell the boys to fold the clothes and put them away. It isn't until we are on the road, HOURS from home that I think to ask, "did you make sure to put your jammies in your suitcases after you folded them?" We all know what the answer to that is...NO. Apparently Mark didn't take the clothes out, just a pair of his shorts and blue blanket, that is Johns blanket. Gggrr. Oh well. My fault. I should have remembered. The second light bulb was this...."do we need an international license to drive in Australia?" This one was a doozy, because I had booked two rental cars, one in Alice Springs and one in Brisbane -- we are going to be SCREWED if it turns out we need an international driving license.
Dinner was nice. It was nice to get out of the car. Woody, our friendly Applebee's waiter was VERY friendly. He liked to chat it up, which doesn't bother me a whit but by the look on Marks face, he wasn't having it, lol! When Woody brought up the Ospry and wanted to know what Mark thought of it and then steam-rolled over him with all of his thoughts about the Ospry, I thought Mark was going to lose it. You could visibly see him shutting down....too funny!
While at dinner, my GPS shut down on my phone and for all that I tried, I couldn't get it back up once back on the road. It kept telling me there wasn't a GPS signal for all that I had full service. It wasn't that big of a problem...we knew our exit, but that was about it. I thought it would be simple...you can usually see the hotels from the road and there are always signs. Hahahahaha -- yea, that's me, laughing! I told Mark I remembered from the directions that we need to head left off the exit. So we do. And we drive. And we drive. And we drive. Just as I am about to tell him to turn around, I see an exit sign with a name I remember from the directions. "TAKE THAT exit", I yell at him, pointing madly! He takes it and it can go right or left. He takes left. I didn't tell him to go left. As he went left, I said, I think we're supposed to go right. I won't repeat what was said under his breath. We commit and are going left (we should be going right...), finally he says, "why don't you call them, you have the number, right?" DUH....lol, I completely forgot I had the number written down. I call them and guess what, we should have gone right! After that we found them without a problem. It was 10:30pm by the time we got to our room. The boys, resigned to sleeping in their underwear, got their teeth brushed, put their respective mouth appliances in, and settled down for some late night reading. I played on my phone for a bit and googled driving in Australia -- I was relieved to find that as long as ones driver's license is in English, you may use the license of your country to drive about Australia! YEA...phew! Things are clicking into place :-)
Mark is not having such a great time of it. While on the road he received a phone call from work. He needed to get something written up and sent to someone and he promised it would be done that night. The hotel internet connection was giving him fits, as well as the website he was trying to work on.....frustration was oozing out of every pore. That poor man. When he couldn't take it another minute, he picks up the phone and says to me, "Honey do you want a beverage?" "Sure," I say. He dials. The phone rings and rings on the other end. His knuckles are getting white on the phone handle. I pick up the room service menu just as he slams down the phone and growls, "well room service isn't picking up!" I look at the menu, room service from 11am-11pm. I look at the clock, it's 11:35pm. Denied!
Matt decided to sleep on the pull out couch while John and I took one of the double beds and Mark had the other. We were all abed by 12:30, and I must say, I was completely knackered. It is currently 10:26am and both Mark and John are still asleep. Good, they need it.
Luckily we are near a shopping center so we are going to head out and get the boys some jammies today before flying out. And Matt is feeling better -- I dosed him last night with vitamin C and Tylenol, so I hope that continues to be the case.
As I sit here typing, I feel the enormity of our trip looming over me. The base of my spine is tingling and a whole garden of butterflies is flapping away in my belly. It'll be great. I know it will. I just need to get at cruising altitude.......
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