Well we have been in Bangkok for about 5 days now. We wanted to lay low here for a few days before traveling on. I am just about 100 percent over my cold and we are also more or less adapted to the culture shock that is South East Asia. Our stomachs are another concern. We have been slowly easing ourselves into the cuisine. So far so good, no sudden unexpected trips to the toilet yet. Speaking of cuisine it is amazingly ...well I guess authentic. Did I just say that. I guess I did. You just can't beat great tasting Pad Thai and Massamn Curry with drinks for $5. And that is resteraut pricing. If you go to a food stall, which we have a few times you are looking at $2 meals or less. How about a massage for an hour..........$5. We just went to a move and saw Cloverfield for $3 each. Could you imagine the lines at the Mercado if they had a $3 movie day.
So besides the pricing (which I love of course) how am I finding Bangkok? It is everything I expected of a large Asian city. I was mentally prepared for the smog and dirty streets, crowded traffic, crowded sidewalks, people trying to sell you all kinds of miscellaneous crap, food, fortunes, etc. What I wasnt really prepared for was the various smells. The odor of an open air fish market in the hot sun hits you in the face like someone smaked you. How about the scent of an overflowing sewer as is pours accross the sidewalk and partially bakes in the hot sun. My tender western heart is also not accustomed to seeing the depravity in which the cats and dogs of Bangkok live. Few are well nourished and even those that are generally are affected by varous colonies of bugs and seem sickly. The thing is I really like Bangkok. It may not sound like it, but every day I see something new and strange to me.
They are quite ingenious here really. Need to deliver a few bolts of fabric accross town but you only own a scooter. No problem... just sit on the seat of the scooter and have your friends load two bolts on either side of you, tieing them down to the back rack and resting them on the handlebars in the front. It makes for a cumbersome ride and you can't get out of the scooter without someone literally untieing you. But you get the job done.
How about if you need a form of motorized transportation, but all you have is the front end of a 1960's Vespa and the engine and rear end of a late model Honda Trail 50. Well you just weld the 2 together throw in some tape and wire and ride it until it blows up or disinegrates.
But my favorite sight so far were the 2 guys riding on a mid 70's Vespa. Aparently they needed to run to the gas station and fill up a 5 gallon jerry can with fuel. They both sat in the traditional seats on a Vespa; driver in the front passenger in the back. But this passenger was holding onto the gas can in his lap while a lit cigarette dangled from his mouth directly over the can. Should I also mention the lid of the can was missing and in its place was a sock shoved into the opening.
I also love the market. Ralph Lauren, Izod, Polo shirt $6. Descent denim pants altered to fit you $10. Custom tailored suits, you chooses the style and fabric $200-$400. The best is the knock off handbags. $3 buys you a Gucci, Prada, Calvin Klein, etc handbag. The latest styles and colors are available. Heather has inspected them and they are fairly accurate. Only way to tell the difference is on close inspection of the fine details. The women on streets of Bangkok always have the latest in accessoires. Probaly even before they hit the streets of Los Altos and Palo Alto. It really puts into perspective how silly it all really is.
Tonight we are off to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Taking an 13 hour overnight train with a sleeping bunk. We will be staying at a homestay, which is basically like living with a family for a few days. It should be an interesting imersion into the culture. We also plan on taking a cooking class. Maybe we can recreate some of the great things we have eaten while here.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
I can't compete :)
o.k. I just read Chris' last entry and I can't seem to be as entertaining as him. I tried to get him to do the rest of the blogging but he just wouldn't say yes. Oh well. You guys have my voice today. Enjoy!
We arrived in Bangkok late just the night before last. We called a few days before to make sure there was a place for us at the Guest House Shia and I used to stay when we were here almost 5 years ago...my how time flies. Anywho, Chris got his first experience of Bangkok just as we stepped out of the airport to get a taxi. (Which the new airport is amazing compared to the old one...yes, instead of remodeling they just built a whole new one.) There were several people asking us if we wanted a taxi...yes we did but not from them. I learned from Shia (thank you) to go to the taxi line and get one from there and then have them set their meter. One taxi said they'd charge us 900baht (33Baht=$1) he'd only charge us 500. I kept saying no and Chris took my lead. Yes, I'm tough!!! Too bad they wouldn't let me take my previously mentioned gun on the plane or I could just use that to get people to know that no means no. So we were able to communicate the neighborhood we wanted to go to and got there for just 290 Baht...not 500 or 900.
Oh, the plane ride. Chris said it was the closest to first class he's ever been. I've managed to get on business class, but that was after a major plane debackle that left Laura and I in Jakarta...another story. We flew Thai airways...which Chris got excited about because he likes their outfits. The plane was half full, so we got a whole row of 4 seats all to ourselves. Chris was able to stretch out his legs instead of bumping them on me or getting them run over in the aisles with his knees wrapped around his ears. As soon as it took off I swear they wanted to get the whole plane drunk. They came around twice witht the cocktail cart...free cocktails with decent booze. Bombay Saphire Gin, Jack Daniels, and other medium to top shelf booze. Of course it was free so we partook...only after carefully studying others transactions to really make sure it was free. Yep, gin and tonic please, Thank you and a Heinekin for Chris. Then more booze with dinner, red or white wine if you'd like. There was older gentleman flight attendant who almost seemed to be pushing the stuff on us, with a big smile on his face. Mind you we did use self control and didn't get wasted, even though it would have been free. Did I mention it was free. 3 fairly crappy movies and a short nap (I was able to lay across 3 seats just fine) and 9 hours later we were there...or here I should say. Whoo hooo we love Thai Airways. You should too.
So the flight did set Chris back a bit in the recovering from his cold area, so we pretty much layed low yesterday but took the water taxi to the backpacker area of Koa San Road...got lost finding it...my memory failed me a bit on that one, and Chris was thankful we are not staying there. Might as well go home and hang at a bar if we want to party with a bunch of westerners. Today I took Chris to the MBK (the big mall here that you can bargain at) (we needed to go to a book store that sold a bus map) and to Jim Thompsons House. A house built in 1959 buy some American that got rich exporting Thai silk. He built the house out of several traditional Thai Houses and had them moved there bit by bit, along with his many ancient and old Asian art pieces. Kind of like another version of Hearst Castle, but not as big. I'll let Chris put his reactions to things in the next blog since this is not all brand new to me, but I think he's really liking it. He's liking Bangkok his first time much more than I did when I first went. Before I just wanted to get out but he seems to like it.
O.K. enough blabbing for now. Talks to ya all lato. I'm out!
We arrived in Bangkok late just the night before last. We called a few days before to make sure there was a place for us at the Guest House Shia and I used to stay when we were here almost 5 years ago...my how time flies. Anywho, Chris got his first experience of Bangkok just as we stepped out of the airport to get a taxi. (Which the new airport is amazing compared to the old one...yes, instead of remodeling they just built a whole new one.) There were several people asking us if we wanted a taxi...yes we did but not from them. I learned from Shia (thank you) to go to the taxi line and get one from there and then have them set their meter. One taxi said they'd charge us 900baht (33Baht=$1) he'd only charge us 500. I kept saying no and Chris took my lead. Yes, I'm tough!!! Too bad they wouldn't let me take my previously mentioned gun on the plane or I could just use that to get people to know that no means no. So we were able to communicate the neighborhood we wanted to go to and got there for just 290 Baht...not 500 or 900.
Oh, the plane ride. Chris said it was the closest to first class he's ever been. I've managed to get on business class, but that was after a major plane debackle that left Laura and I in Jakarta...another story. We flew Thai airways...which Chris got excited about because he likes their outfits. The plane was half full, so we got a whole row of 4 seats all to ourselves. Chris was able to stretch out his legs instead of bumping them on me or getting them run over in the aisles with his knees wrapped around his ears. As soon as it took off I swear they wanted to get the whole plane drunk. They came around twice witht the cocktail cart...free cocktails with decent booze. Bombay Saphire Gin, Jack Daniels, and other medium to top shelf booze. Of course it was free so we partook...only after carefully studying others transactions to really make sure it was free. Yep, gin and tonic please, Thank you and a Heinekin for Chris. Then more booze with dinner, red or white wine if you'd like. There was older gentleman flight attendant who almost seemed to be pushing the stuff on us, with a big smile on his face. Mind you we did use self control and didn't get wasted, even though it would have been free. Did I mention it was free. 3 fairly crappy movies and a short nap (I was able to lay across 3 seats just fine) and 9 hours later we were there...or here I should say. Whoo hooo we love Thai Airways. You should too.
So the flight did set Chris back a bit in the recovering from his cold area, so we pretty much layed low yesterday but took the water taxi to the backpacker area of Koa San Road...got lost finding it...my memory failed me a bit on that one, and Chris was thankful we are not staying there. Might as well go home and hang at a bar if we want to party with a bunch of westerners. Today I took Chris to the MBK (the big mall here that you can bargain at) (we needed to go to a book store that sold a bus map) and to Jim Thompsons House. A house built in 1959 buy some American that got rich exporting Thai silk. He built the house out of several traditional Thai Houses and had them moved there bit by bit, along with his many ancient and old Asian art pieces. Kind of like another version of Hearst Castle, but not as big. I'll let Chris put his reactions to things in the next blog since this is not all brand new to me, but I think he's really liking it. He's liking Bangkok his first time much more than I did when I first went. Before I just wanted to get out but he seems to like it.
O.K. enough blabbing for now. Talks to ya all lato. I'm out!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Q and A's
We are set to leave Sydney today. We fly off to Bangkok for the next stage in our adventure. We took a cruise throught Sydney harbor yesterday and caught some great views of the Opra house, the bridge etc. I never really gave much thought to the opra house and wasnt especially excited to see it, but it is a really impressive work of art in real life. The design is so unique and the actual engineering and construction required to build it are unbelievable. I'm sure it took quite a few construction project managers and superintendents to build it and correct the architects mistakes.
So as we leave the english speaking world I figured I would pass on some of the common questions we were asked by other english speaking travelers as we made our journeys around NZ ans OZ. Heather and I are both well aware of our responsiblity as travelers to set a good impression of Americans in the eyes of the fellow humans that we meet. We are always tactfull in our answers to questions, we are nothing but honest and sometimes the truth hurts.
Q. Do you always carry a handgun with you whereever you go in the states? (gun questions were the most common we got since ownership of guns in OZ is pretty much forbidden)
A. No not generally.
Q. What is the weather like in California? Do you surf alot.
A. Its actuall very nice in the summers with the occasional heat wave and we have mild winters, but no we don't surf alot.
Q. Why did you elect Bush 2 times wasnt it clear he was a certified looser and halfwit?
A. Hmmm good question... We are actually from California so most of the people we associate with didn't vote for him.
Q. Is it true the Terminator is your governor?
A. Yeah, but he dosent wear the bandoleer of ammunition around his chest while on official buisness.
Q. Do you feel alot safer in Austrlia since you have so much crime in the US?
A. No not really. Its not like Law and Order or CSI are real. (Hollywood and TV shows really confuse some people)
Q. Why are your cars so huge? Dosent that take alot of extra gas?
A. To pull all of our personal watercraft...well actually its... well I dont know. Good question.
Q. As a deeply religeous person why does your so called religeous right support someone like Bush? Im my mind he is responsible for the death of a large number of humans, he has lied and is immorral. His policies are also destructive to one of gods greatest creations.... the earth.
A. I didnt really want to get involved with a religeous conversation so I difused by saying that I really dont know.
Q. Do you guys always carry handguns with you?
A. No...No we dont.
Q. In Australian schools we are taught alot about American history, the founding fathers etc. Do they teach Americans any Australian history?
A. No not really, but we did learn alot from Crocodile Dundee and all the remaining blanks were filled in by the Crocodile Hunter.
Q. Oh you are from California. Do you know David Hasselhoff? (A German asked us this)
A. No, but I hear he may be making a run for Governor.
Q. Which is better for America Clinton or Obama?
A. Im not really sure.
Q. What kind of Handgun do you carry around?
A. Depends on the day. I generally prefer something with a high rate of fire, maybe an Uzi or machine pistol. Heather prefers a small lightweight revolver for fireing off warning shots while merging in traffic. We also have matching chrome Smith and Wessons with pearl handles and snakeskin holsters. They are really an accessory for when going out on the town.... formal events and such.
So as we leave the english speaking world I figured I would pass on some of the common questions we were asked by other english speaking travelers as we made our journeys around NZ ans OZ. Heather and I are both well aware of our responsiblity as travelers to set a good impression of Americans in the eyes of the fellow humans that we meet. We are always tactfull in our answers to questions, we are nothing but honest and sometimes the truth hurts.
Q. Do you always carry a handgun with you whereever you go in the states? (gun questions were the most common we got since ownership of guns in OZ is pretty much forbidden)
A. No not generally.
Q. What is the weather like in California? Do you surf alot.
A. Its actuall very nice in the summers with the occasional heat wave and we have mild winters, but no we don't surf alot.
Q. Why did you elect Bush 2 times wasnt it clear he was a certified looser and halfwit?
A. Hmmm good question... We are actually from California so most of the people we associate with didn't vote for him.
Q. Is it true the Terminator is your governor?
A. Yeah, but he dosent wear the bandoleer of ammunition around his chest while on official buisness.
Q. Do you feel alot safer in Austrlia since you have so much crime in the US?
A. No not really. Its not like Law and Order or CSI are real. (Hollywood and TV shows really confuse some people)
Q. Why are your cars so huge? Dosent that take alot of extra gas?
A. To pull all of our personal watercraft...well actually its... well I dont know. Good question.
Q. As a deeply religeous person why does your so called religeous right support someone like Bush? Im my mind he is responsible for the death of a large number of humans, he has lied and is immorral. His policies are also destructive to one of gods greatest creations.... the earth.
A. I didnt really want to get involved with a religeous conversation so I difused by saying that I really dont know.
Q. Do you guys always carry handguns with you?
A. No...No we dont.
Q. In Australian schools we are taught alot about American history, the founding fathers etc. Do they teach Americans any Australian history?
A. No not really, but we did learn alot from Crocodile Dundee and all the remaining blanks were filled in by the Crocodile Hunter.
Q. Oh you are from California. Do you know David Hasselhoff? (A German asked us this)
A. No, but I hear he may be making a run for Governor.
Q. Which is better for America Clinton or Obama?
A. Im not really sure.
Q. What kind of Handgun do you carry around?
A. Depends on the day. I generally prefer something with a high rate of fire, maybe an Uzi or machine pistol. Heather prefers a small lightweight revolver for fireing off warning shots while merging in traffic. We also have matching chrome Smith and Wessons with pearl handles and snakeskin holsters. They are really an accessory for when going out on the town.... formal events and such.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Rain, Rain, Rain
First off....thanks mom for posting the pics!!!!!!
Yep, it doesn't stop and it seems to follow us everywhere we go. We're currently in Bondi Beach in Sydney. We got in yesterday after a drive down the coast from Brisbane. At least we were able to hit the beach for a couple of hours yesterday before the crazy wind and rain. In fact, on my way over to the internet cafe, I read a head line that Coogee, just south of us, where we tried to get accomdations but couldn't, had flash floods and two people died. Glad we're here instead. Crazy weather! Let's see, what else...oh after hanging out with some lovely British folks, who later complained of a sore throat, Chris is feeling a bit under the weather, no pun intended...or was there?
So let me go back in time a bit. We went to one of the Australian wine areas of Hunter Valley. It's mostly know for it's Shiraz's but has a mix of others as well. On our way down we were listening to the radio and one of the wineries had a tragic accident that morning where there was a sudden explosion and 2 people died and one person was burned extremely badly. It was at one of the very well known wineries that the family has been there for several generations, so not a happy time. Also, of course, as soon as we arrived, it was pissing rain.
When we got to the camp ground it was fairly empty. The lady at the front told us alot of the sights were pretty flooded out but she let us have a look around to see if we could make do with any of it. She also told us, "Oh, the sites where the vines are, are where the 'grape pickers' are"...very much implying we don't want to be there. Chris and I both thought, "What's wrong with Mexicans"? We may be going to hell for thinking that, and then saying it out loud, but it's what we have in California. We did find a lovely spot with two trees to tie our blue tarp to and we even got our own bathroom!!!! Since it was pouring rain we decided to go wine tasting instead of setting up in the rain. When we drove by the kitchen on the way out, we realized it looked more like a hostel kitchen than the campsite kitchen's we're used to. Younger folk hanging out, playing music, guitar and drinking beer. So we went to about 3 wineries and heard a story about the recent tradegy from one of the other owners. One thing is that tastings are absolutely free, everywhere, there, but that seems like it'll end soon. Even in New Zealand we had to pay for a couple. The wines are good but they prefer more subtle flavors than us Californians. I think I may like them better than the New Zealand wines, but we didn't really explore there in as much depth as AU. Anywhoo...we get a bottle of sparkling Shiraz, surprizingly yummy and head back to the campsite. It's dinner.
We go to the kitchen and there are the group of Brits...3 girls 4 boys and loads of fun. They are the "grape pickers" who have been stuck there because the weather has not allowed them to start picking. Three of them had been flooded out of their tent the night before and were drying out all day. They were the noisy kids the reception lady "warned" us about. So what do we do? Become friends with the "bad kids", yet still appear good. What do I mean by this? We stayed up with them, drank, listened to music and laughed and then went to bed (because that's what older married people do). Just as we went to bed, the lady came out and told them to be quiet...she never even knew we associated with them.
Well, apparently their tent wasn't dry by then, so they slept in the laundry room. At 7 a.m. the next day, the lady came in, "Guys, I'm already not happy with you. You can't sleep here. From now on the laundry room will be locked at night." It's nice when you can be the one that starts new rules. Once they got up they realized their tent was missing. They had hung it up to dry and now it was gone. In come Chris, Heather, and the trusty tent and tarp. We'd been worried for a while about our tent. The poles weren't really staying together and they were kinda bent. We had to buy a sewing kit to sew up the a few holes, but had managed to keep it going and with the tarp we stayed dry. But these poor guys needed something and we only needed it one more night, then to the trash it was to go. Nope. We offered it to them and they took it right quick. We even threw in the tarp and two umbrellas. They wanted us to leave it where we set it up and would take it up with the lady if they could leave it there or had to move to the "picker" field. Chris and I spent another day wine tasting and a shorter evening with the Brits. Then it was up and off to Sydney...which is where we are now.
Yesterday we checked into our hostel. Cool old, old building with detailed ceilings, grates, picture molding, etc... but very much a hostel. Chris is sick now, but after cooking in the kitchen there, it might be my turn...naw. People are pigs though.
Today we did alot of walking and went to the Circle Quay, which is where the Harbor Bridge is, an area called The Rocks and yes....dah, dah...the Opera House. It is very cool in person but with the crazy wind and rain flurries, not exactly how I pictured it. I want to go back when the weather is a bit better, but we toughed it out and walked all around it. Maybe we'll do the tour, but it's kinda spendy. We also want to climb the Harbor Bridge but that costs even more than glacier climbing!!! We were warned by the Brits that Syndey will try to suck your money out of your pocket and yes, it can be a very expensive place, but I think I really like it. Like, SF, but more mellow and warmer. We've got a few more days and then to Thailand on Friday. Send us warm weather vibes...please!!
Miss you back at home.
Yep, it doesn't stop and it seems to follow us everywhere we go. We're currently in Bondi Beach in Sydney. We got in yesterday after a drive down the coast from Brisbane. At least we were able to hit the beach for a couple of hours yesterday before the crazy wind and rain. In fact, on my way over to the internet cafe, I read a head line that Coogee, just south of us, where we tried to get accomdations but couldn't, had flash floods and two people died. Glad we're here instead. Crazy weather! Let's see, what else...oh after hanging out with some lovely British folks, who later complained of a sore throat, Chris is feeling a bit under the weather, no pun intended...or was there?
So let me go back in time a bit. We went to one of the Australian wine areas of Hunter Valley. It's mostly know for it's Shiraz's but has a mix of others as well. On our way down we were listening to the radio and one of the wineries had a tragic accident that morning where there was a sudden explosion and 2 people died and one person was burned extremely badly. It was at one of the very well known wineries that the family has been there for several generations, so not a happy time. Also, of course, as soon as we arrived, it was pissing rain.
When we got to the camp ground it was fairly empty. The lady at the front told us alot of the sights were pretty flooded out but she let us have a look around to see if we could make do with any of it. She also told us, "Oh, the sites where the vines are, are where the 'grape pickers' are"...very much implying we don't want to be there. Chris and I both thought, "What's wrong with Mexicans"? We may be going to hell for thinking that, and then saying it out loud, but it's what we have in California. We did find a lovely spot with two trees to tie our blue tarp to and we even got our own bathroom!!!! Since it was pouring rain we decided to go wine tasting instead of setting up in the rain. When we drove by the kitchen on the way out, we realized it looked more like a hostel kitchen than the campsite kitchen's we're used to. Younger folk hanging out, playing music, guitar and drinking beer. So we went to about 3 wineries and heard a story about the recent tradegy from one of the other owners. One thing is that tastings are absolutely free, everywhere, there, but that seems like it'll end soon. Even in New Zealand we had to pay for a couple. The wines are good but they prefer more subtle flavors than us Californians. I think I may like them better than the New Zealand wines, but we didn't really explore there in as much depth as AU. Anywhoo...we get a bottle of sparkling Shiraz, surprizingly yummy and head back to the campsite. It's dinner.
We go to the kitchen and there are the group of Brits...3 girls 4 boys and loads of fun. They are the "grape pickers" who have been stuck there because the weather has not allowed them to start picking. Three of them had been flooded out of their tent the night before and were drying out all day. They were the noisy kids the reception lady "warned" us about. So what do we do? Become friends with the "bad kids", yet still appear good. What do I mean by this? We stayed up with them, drank, listened to music and laughed and then went to bed (because that's what older married people do). Just as we went to bed, the lady came out and told them to be quiet...she never even knew we associated with them.
Well, apparently their tent wasn't dry by then, so they slept in the laundry room. At 7 a.m. the next day, the lady came in, "Guys, I'm already not happy with you. You can't sleep here. From now on the laundry room will be locked at night." It's nice when you can be the one that starts new rules. Once they got up they realized their tent was missing. They had hung it up to dry and now it was gone. In come Chris, Heather, and the trusty tent and tarp. We'd been worried for a while about our tent. The poles weren't really staying together and they were kinda bent. We had to buy a sewing kit to sew up the a few holes, but had managed to keep it going and with the tarp we stayed dry. But these poor guys needed something and we only needed it one more night, then to the trash it was to go. Nope. We offered it to them and they took it right quick. We even threw in the tarp and two umbrellas. They wanted us to leave it where we set it up and would take it up with the lady if they could leave it there or had to move to the "picker" field. Chris and I spent another day wine tasting and a shorter evening with the Brits. Then it was up and off to Sydney...which is where we are now.
Yesterday we checked into our hostel. Cool old, old building with detailed ceilings, grates, picture molding, etc... but very much a hostel. Chris is sick now, but after cooking in the kitchen there, it might be my turn...naw. People are pigs though.
Today we did alot of walking and went to the Circle Quay, which is where the Harbor Bridge is, an area called The Rocks and yes....dah, dah...the Opera House. It is very cool in person but with the crazy wind and rain flurries, not exactly how I pictured it. I want to go back when the weather is a bit better, but we toughed it out and walked all around it. Maybe we'll do the tour, but it's kinda spendy. We also want to climb the Harbor Bridge but that costs even more than glacier climbing!!! We were warned by the Brits that Syndey will try to suck your money out of your pocket and yes, it can be a very expensive place, but I think I really like it. Like, SF, but more mellow and warmer. We've got a few more days and then to Thailand on Friday. Send us warm weather vibes...please!!
Miss you back at home.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The King
In the week since we last posted we've traveled south from Brisbane moving towards Sydney. The weather has been less then perfect, but we are making the best of it. Partly cloudy on the nice days and scattered rain on the bad days. It keeps the heat to a minimum which is nice. Apparently it can get to over 100 degrees this time of year. We still have managed to spend a bunch of time laying on the beach soaking up the sun. Even have some color and a little burn to show for it.
We are currently in the town of Forestner which is pronounced Forster. The only internet in town is inside a lawn bowling club. Its like a bolwing alley/ country club/ casino/ elks lodge/ black angus. Im not exactly sure what the rules of lawn bowling is but it looks similar to bocce ball. We are guests here \, you can tell who the members are they have a special suit or uniform on. I would say the average age of the membership of the club is 106.
We are heading into the hunter valley tomorrow for a couple days of wine tasting before we descend into Sydney for our last 5 days in Australia. Last night I had the pleasure of having a very large female and adolescent Kangaroo come right out of the bush next to our tent and come within maybe 10 feet of me as they bounced through the campground. Very neat. We are still on the lookout for a Koala.
The day before we left Brisbane we spent the afternoon with my cousin Lisa shopping at the local thrift stores. They call them op shops, short for oportunity I think. We were looking for cheap clothes to wear to Lisa's friends prom themed party. The tackier the outfit the better. Heather and Lisa both picked up almost matching shimmering golden colored dresses. I found a pair of never worn 70's era light blue polyester pants, tuxedo shirt and period correct ugly tie. The party was totally fun and great way to end our time in Brisbane.
I should mention that my cousin lives what may be classified by some as an "alternative lifestyle" and lives in the section of Brisbane called the West End. This section of town is similar to the Castro district in SF. So needless to say at the party most of the females were dressed in very tacky prom dresses and so were most of the guys. The party was held just like a regular prom. There was dancing, a photo area with proper backdrop, spiked punch and of course a prom king and queen. The title of queen went to 2 girls who's outfits were great. Totally 1980's. The prom king award went to none other then myself. Thats right I was the prom king at a lesbian/ gay prom party. I'm not exactly sure what to think about that. I guess I did rather enjoy dancing with the guys in drag......Clearly any future for me in politics is officially over since pictures of the event do exist.
We are currently in the town of Forestner which is pronounced Forster. The only internet in town is inside a lawn bowling club. Its like a bolwing alley/ country club/ casino/ elks lodge/ black angus. Im not exactly sure what the rules of lawn bowling is but it looks similar to bocce ball. We are guests here \, you can tell who the members are they have a special suit or uniform on. I would say the average age of the membership of the club is 106.
We are heading into the hunter valley tomorrow for a couple days of wine tasting before we descend into Sydney for our last 5 days in Australia. Last night I had the pleasure of having a very large female and adolescent Kangaroo come right out of the bush next to our tent and come within maybe 10 feet of me as they bounced through the campground. Very neat. We are still on the lookout for a Koala.
The day before we left Brisbane we spent the afternoon with my cousin Lisa shopping at the local thrift stores. They call them op shops, short for oportunity I think. We were looking for cheap clothes to wear to Lisa's friends prom themed party. The tackier the outfit the better. Heather and Lisa both picked up almost matching shimmering golden colored dresses. I found a pair of never worn 70's era light blue polyester pants, tuxedo shirt and period correct ugly tie. The party was totally fun and great way to end our time in Brisbane.
I should mention that my cousin lives what may be classified by some as an "alternative lifestyle" and lives in the section of Brisbane called the West End. This section of town is similar to the Castro district in SF. So needless to say at the party most of the females were dressed in very tacky prom dresses and so were most of the guys. The party was held just like a regular prom. There was dancing, a photo area with proper backdrop, spiked punch and of course a prom king and queen. The title of queen went to 2 girls who's outfits were great. Totally 1980's. The prom king award went to none other then myself. Thats right I was the prom king at a lesbian/ gay prom party. I'm not exactly sure what to think about that. I guess I did rather enjoy dancing with the guys in drag......Clearly any future for me in politics is officially over since pictures of the event do exist.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Death Trap
Australia is a varied landscape with a multitude of cultures, cuisine, and ways to die a horrible death. The list of reptilians, arachnids, fish, mollusks and unclassifiable living creatures that can impale, cripple, maim and if your very lucky kill you instantly is long and bewildering. The guide books and tour guides always make it a point to state that the odds of death from each of these critters is incredibly small. But they fail to point out that the aggregate total of these statistics leaves the average tourist with a 78.3% chance of death and of course the odds go up the longer you stay. I would imagine we would be much safer joining an East LA gang then traveling to Australia, but it wouldn't be as fun. If you do happen to survive the gauntlet of death that is Australia you are left with memories of amazing beaches, friendly people, warm clear blue water and history that is not to dissimilar from the United States.
We recently returned from a road trip up the Northern Part of the Queensland coast. We got lucky with the weather and had some partly cloudy days which is preferential over clear days. If the sky is perfectly clear it allows the sun to bring the temperatures into the 90-105 range. Australia is also directly below the hole in the ozone layer so severe burning and sunstroke is not uncommom. (add that to the list of ways to become injured/ die). We even saw the following animals: Kangaroo, Snake, Jack Rabbit, and 2 crocodiles. Of course we only saw them as road kill. No live animals as of yet.
We took a 2 hour boat trip out from the Town of 1770 to the southern great barrier reef island and cay of Lady Musgrave. Do a google image search of Lady Musgrave and I'm sure you will see some excellent photos. But in reality photos don't do it justice. Absolutely beautiful waters. Deep blue of the ocean next to the orange, purples, reds etc. of the reef, then the light blues of the shallow lagoon. Throw in a tiny island made of coral with green foliage and you have an area that Bill Gates could make into a computer background picture. Part of our day trip to the reef included a full day of snorkeling/ swimming amoungst the corral and fish as well as a trip and guided walk amoungst the small island. Our guide on the island walk warned us not to pick up any shells or anything for that matter since the island was inhabited by a small creature that lives out of the water amoungst the coral debris and whos bite is 100% fatal. Needless to say we didnt touch a thing. This tiny island is also inhabitated by 20,000 birds. The birds are everywhere. Heather was lucky and only got crapped on once. I took a hit on my leg and top of my head. Fortunately I was wearing a hat. Overall the trip to the reef was totally awesome and worth all the effort (even watching the 6 or so people vomit on the way out.) It really is one of the wonders of the world.
After our big adventure at sea we made our way back down the coast of Queensland and are now back in Brisbane. We are using my cousin Lisa's house as our base and taking trips from here. We will eventually move on to the southern Part of Australia out of Queensland and into New South Wales staying along the coast and ending in Sydney for our flight to Bangkok on the 25th. For the next few days or so we will be keeping a low profile in Brisbane and I can guarnantee we will watch our step. We are actually looking forward to the relative safety of the Cambodian minefields.
We recently returned from a road trip up the Northern Part of the Queensland coast. We got lucky with the weather and had some partly cloudy days which is preferential over clear days. If the sky is perfectly clear it allows the sun to bring the temperatures into the 90-105 range. Australia is also directly below the hole in the ozone layer so severe burning and sunstroke is not uncommom. (add that to the list of ways to become injured/ die). We even saw the following animals: Kangaroo, Snake, Jack Rabbit, and 2 crocodiles. Of course we only saw them as road kill. No live animals as of yet.
We took a 2 hour boat trip out from the Town of 1770 to the southern great barrier reef island and cay of Lady Musgrave. Do a google image search of Lady Musgrave and I'm sure you will see some excellent photos. But in reality photos don't do it justice. Absolutely beautiful waters. Deep blue of the ocean next to the orange, purples, reds etc. of the reef, then the light blues of the shallow lagoon. Throw in a tiny island made of coral with green foliage and you have an area that Bill Gates could make into a computer background picture. Part of our day trip to the reef included a full day of snorkeling/ swimming amoungst the corral and fish as well as a trip and guided walk amoungst the small island. Our guide on the island walk warned us not to pick up any shells or anything for that matter since the island was inhabited by a small creature that lives out of the water amoungst the coral debris and whos bite is 100% fatal. Needless to say we didnt touch a thing. This tiny island is also inhabitated by 20,000 birds. The birds are everywhere. Heather was lucky and only got crapped on once. I took a hit on my leg and top of my head. Fortunately I was wearing a hat. Overall the trip to the reef was totally awesome and worth all the effort (even watching the 6 or so people vomit on the way out.) It really is one of the wonders of the world.
After our big adventure at sea we made our way back down the coast of Queensland and are now back in Brisbane. We are using my cousin Lisa's house as our base and taking trips from here. We will eventually move on to the southern Part of Australia out of Queensland and into New South Wales staying along the coast and ending in Sydney for our flight to Bangkok on the 25th. For the next few days or so we will be keeping a low profile in Brisbane and I can guarnantee we will watch our step. We are actually looking forward to the relative safety of the Cambodian minefields.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy, Oi, Oi, Oi
G'day mates,
Having a bonza time in Oz. After the hard yakka of moving Lisa's stuff out of the burbs and into westie with her mate's ute, we went to the bottle-o and grabbed a slab of beer for her housewarming piss-up and Thursday night. It was beaut! Everyone was pissed as farts on grog acting like drongos. Lisa's friends are kind of dags- but true blue. I had my ear bashed from all the chin wagging. On Friday we went walkabout to King George Square in the CBD of Brisbane. It was pissing down so we had buckleys of staying dry but it was apples. In the evening we went to the local Art Gallery to catch the Andy Warhol exhibit and Buck 65 concert....Bloody Ripper!! We had never heard of the bloke but he puts on a beaut show! The place was chockers and everyone was barracking fro him. We were rapt! Worth seeing if you get the chance. Yesterday (Saturday), we were up at sparrow's fart to go and have breakie at the local farmers market. We reckon it's heaps like the Willow Glen market mixed with the Chico market. It was tops! In the arvo we were flat out visiting other Brisbane suburbs and shopping for Lisa's new place. We saw heaps of Bogans but feels like we were running around for yonks and were bloody buggered. It's cleared up now and it's bloody hot, about 33 degrees C and humid. Haven't had a chance to chuck our togs on and go for a swim, but we reckon it's on the cards. Maybe later we'll fire up the barbie and have a snag or two with some dead horse.
What? Exactly!!!!!
Having a bonza time in Oz. After the hard yakka of moving Lisa's stuff out of the burbs and into westie with her mate's ute, we went to the bottle-o and grabbed a slab of beer for her housewarming piss-up and Thursday night. It was beaut! Everyone was pissed as farts on grog acting like drongos. Lisa's friends are kind of dags- but true blue. I had my ear bashed from all the chin wagging. On Friday we went walkabout to King George Square in the CBD of Brisbane. It was pissing down so we had buckleys of staying dry but it was apples. In the evening we went to the local Art Gallery to catch the Andy Warhol exhibit and Buck 65 concert....Bloody Ripper!! We had never heard of the bloke but he puts on a beaut show! The place was chockers and everyone was barracking fro him. We were rapt! Worth seeing if you get the chance. Yesterday (Saturday), we were up at sparrow's fart to go and have breakie at the local farmers market. We reckon it's heaps like the Willow Glen market mixed with the Chico market. It was tops! In the arvo we were flat out visiting other Brisbane suburbs and shopping for Lisa's new place. We saw heaps of Bogans but feels like we were running around for yonks and were bloody buggered. It's cleared up now and it's bloody hot, about 33 degrees C and humid. Haven't had a chance to chuck our togs on and go for a swim, but we reckon it's on the cards. Maybe later we'll fire up the barbie and have a snag or two with some dead horse.
What? Exactly!!!!!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
We've landed in Australia...and BBQ?
Happy New Year all!!!
So after our ice climbing and such we headed to the "big city" on the South Island of New Zealand for our last few days and New Years Eve. Because it was New Years in the "big city" of Christchurch, accomodations was a little more challenging to find than pitching a tent at a campsite. Hey, at least it didn't rain on us our last 2 nights of camping and we were able to dry ourselves off. So what we did find was a 2 person dorm room...ie.. bunk beds!! I got the top because I'm little and I fit in all the bars they put up to protect you. Chris gets the bottom so his feet can hang off of the end of the bed. Poor guy. The only thing about being on top is the person below can push their feet up and push the upperbunk matress around. Lucky for me, Chris didn't, not to say I wouldn't do the same to him. Teeheehee. We drove into Christchurch and then tried to figure out the best way to get rid of our car, since having a car in a city is just a burden. One of the other couples in the hostel had a boot put on their car overnight. After driving to the airport to drop off our car, turns out there was a drop off point just 3 blocks from where we were staying. Ooops. So they asked us to return it there. Easier for all involved. No major time lost. We got a driving tours of the suburbs of Christchurch.
Our hostel was convieniently located in the city and just a couple of blocks from the heart of the city. Our first stop...Cathedral square...which was just that...a square with a Cathedral in it. Kind of like Union Square but different. It even has a Starbucks, of course. So the Cathedral is open to the public and it's really beautiful. Old stained glass, the high pointed ceilings, the rose window, but I'm sure much smaller than the ones in Europe. Still beautiful. From there we headed to a couple of museums...all free, imagine that? The first one was the Christchurch art museum. A good mix of classic and modern. The kind that you scratch your head, turn it to the side and go...hmmmmm? Then we went to the art centre. An old school building that has been turned into artist studios and shops. This building was amazing just on it's own, but then to let artists use it as a shop/ studio is even cooler...but I don't know if they have to pay rent of if some of it is subsidized, or what. The next museum was sort of their natural history museum. When we walked in there were a million kids running around in neckerchiefs...it was the scout jamboree!!! It was so hot and stuffy in there and we were pretty much museumed out, so we kinda ran through that place, got out and found ourselved a coffee in the square and peopled watched.
New Years Eve we got some yummy Indian food, went back to our hostel and opened up a bottle of Lambrusco and headed out to find a pub to hang at, since the bar below our hostel was a weird place...but that's a whole other story. We wandered through the square, where there was a free concert going on but weren't really into the Irish/ country band that was playing. Instead we found an Irish pub, with true Irish music and I actually think many of the people there were Irish. It was packed and people were singing along..all smiles. Chris had a brief conversation with another guy about the rules of fighting in hockey and the guy was pretty amazed at the violence of it but found it interesting enough to tell all his friends while laughing. Just before midnight we headed out to the square for the countdown. The place was just full of a few thousand people and the cathedral lit up at night was just beautiful. At midnight the shot off fireworks from one of the nearby rooftops. It was so great. At that moment it hit me where we were and what we were doing...finally. This journey we're taking is just so amazing!!
We just hung out, read and slept on the 1st. Rough lives, I know. But we did have to get up at 3 a.m. the next day to catch our flight to Brisbane, Australia. Which is where we are now.
Chris's aunt Linda picked us up at the airport and took us to her friend Maggie's house. Maggie's daughter Alex lives there too. This is where we would spend the first night. They are both wonderfully interesting and amazing people. It was such a nice introduction to Australia. Of course politics dominated the conversation, but I survived. Chris can really enjoy good political conversation. That night we were invited to a BBQ at Maggie's brother Bruce's house...for a deck warming party. This is when I finally felt comfortable enough to ask about their definition of BBQ.
You see all through out New Zealand we were told they love their BBQ, along with Australian's, but all we found was this flat stainless steel skillets...so to speak...outdoors and heated by propane. Sometimes they would have the raised grill lines, but in our minds you were basically pan frying your food. So throughout the country we'd say, "Smells like some good pan frying going on". In fact we actually bought a steak to BBQ and were disappointed that we ended up basically pan frying it. When we asked some people about mesquite and such, they looked so confused and somewhat offended. So we've actually avoided the pan frying/ BBQ, unless it's free. So we learned yesterday what we do is "American BBQ".. of course. I asked what's the difference between their BBQ and cooking it in a pan on the stove...I got the answer, "none". Ah hah!! So there you have it. Throw a shrimp on the pan fryer.
So we helped Chris' cousin Lisa move into her new place yesterday. Yes, we flew all the way to Australia to help his cousin move, but we don't mind at all. It's right on the river and she has her own dock...or pontoon. We're slowly learning Australian speak. We were saying tie an innertube and float on the really hot day. Yeah great and all, but there are bull sharks in the river....WHAT? Yes, they will come up and bite you. Great. Sharks. This country has some crazy wildlife that will just kill you. We hung out, she invited a few friends over for a house warming sort of get together and here we are.
And you know how we said we'd dry out here. Nope, not so much. They've had a drought for 7+ years but when we got here it has decided to rain and rain and rain and rain and it's not supposed to let up for a week or so. Great for them but bad for us. Oh well, no beach time here. We'll probably stay in Brisbane for about a week and move on after that.
O.K. I'll let Chris write next time. His entries are much more interesting than mine.
So after our ice climbing and such we headed to the "big city" on the South Island of New Zealand for our last few days and New Years Eve. Because it was New Years in the "big city" of Christchurch, accomodations was a little more challenging to find than pitching a tent at a campsite. Hey, at least it didn't rain on us our last 2 nights of camping and we were able to dry ourselves off. So what we did find was a 2 person dorm room...ie.. bunk beds!! I got the top because I'm little and I fit in all the bars they put up to protect you. Chris gets the bottom so his feet can hang off of the end of the bed. Poor guy. The only thing about being on top is the person below can push their feet up and push the upperbunk matress around. Lucky for me, Chris didn't, not to say I wouldn't do the same to him. Teeheehee. We drove into Christchurch and then tried to figure out the best way to get rid of our car, since having a car in a city is just a burden. One of the other couples in the hostel had a boot put on their car overnight. After driving to the airport to drop off our car, turns out there was a drop off point just 3 blocks from where we were staying. Ooops. So they asked us to return it there. Easier for all involved. No major time lost. We got a driving tours of the suburbs of Christchurch.
Our hostel was convieniently located in the city and just a couple of blocks from the heart of the city. Our first stop...Cathedral square...which was just that...a square with a Cathedral in it. Kind of like Union Square but different. It even has a Starbucks, of course. So the Cathedral is open to the public and it's really beautiful. Old stained glass, the high pointed ceilings, the rose window, but I'm sure much smaller than the ones in Europe. Still beautiful. From there we headed to a couple of museums...all free, imagine that? The first one was the Christchurch art museum. A good mix of classic and modern. The kind that you scratch your head, turn it to the side and go...hmmmmm? Then we went to the art centre. An old school building that has been turned into artist studios and shops. This building was amazing just on it's own, but then to let artists use it as a shop/ studio is even cooler...but I don't know if they have to pay rent of if some of it is subsidized, or what. The next museum was sort of their natural history museum. When we walked in there were a million kids running around in neckerchiefs...it was the scout jamboree!!! It was so hot and stuffy in there and we were pretty much museumed out, so we kinda ran through that place, got out and found ourselved a coffee in the square and peopled watched.
New Years Eve we got some yummy Indian food, went back to our hostel and opened up a bottle of Lambrusco and headed out to find a pub to hang at, since the bar below our hostel was a weird place...but that's a whole other story. We wandered through the square, where there was a free concert going on but weren't really into the Irish/ country band that was playing. Instead we found an Irish pub, with true Irish music and I actually think many of the people there were Irish. It was packed and people were singing along..all smiles. Chris had a brief conversation with another guy about the rules of fighting in hockey and the guy was pretty amazed at the violence of it but found it interesting enough to tell all his friends while laughing. Just before midnight we headed out to the square for the countdown. The place was just full of a few thousand people and the cathedral lit up at night was just beautiful. At midnight the shot off fireworks from one of the nearby rooftops. It was so great. At that moment it hit me where we were and what we were doing...finally. This journey we're taking is just so amazing!!
We just hung out, read and slept on the 1st. Rough lives, I know. But we did have to get up at 3 a.m. the next day to catch our flight to Brisbane, Australia. Which is where we are now.
Chris's aunt Linda picked us up at the airport and took us to her friend Maggie's house. Maggie's daughter Alex lives there too. This is where we would spend the first night. They are both wonderfully interesting and amazing people. It was such a nice introduction to Australia. Of course politics dominated the conversation, but I survived. Chris can really enjoy good political conversation. That night we were invited to a BBQ at Maggie's brother Bruce's house...for a deck warming party. This is when I finally felt comfortable enough to ask about their definition of BBQ.
You see all through out New Zealand we were told they love their BBQ, along with Australian's, but all we found was this flat stainless steel skillets...so to speak...outdoors and heated by propane. Sometimes they would have the raised grill lines, but in our minds you were basically pan frying your food. So throughout the country we'd say, "Smells like some good pan frying going on". In fact we actually bought a steak to BBQ and were disappointed that we ended up basically pan frying it. When we asked some people about mesquite and such, they looked so confused and somewhat offended. So we've actually avoided the pan frying/ BBQ, unless it's free. So we learned yesterday what we do is "American BBQ".. of course. I asked what's the difference between their BBQ and cooking it in a pan on the stove...I got the answer, "none". Ah hah!! So there you have it. Throw a shrimp on the pan fryer.
So we helped Chris' cousin Lisa move into her new place yesterday. Yes, we flew all the way to Australia to help his cousin move, but we don't mind at all. It's right on the river and she has her own dock...or pontoon. We're slowly learning Australian speak. We were saying tie an innertube and float on the really hot day. Yeah great and all, but there are bull sharks in the river....WHAT? Yes, they will come up and bite you. Great. Sharks. This country has some crazy wildlife that will just kill you. We hung out, she invited a few friends over for a house warming sort of get together and here we are.
And you know how we said we'd dry out here. Nope, not so much. They've had a drought for 7+ years but when we got here it has decided to rain and rain and rain and rain and it's not supposed to let up for a week or so. Great for them but bad for us. Oh well, no beach time here. We'll probably stay in Brisbane for about a week and move on after that.
O.K. I'll let Chris write next time. His entries are much more interesting than mine.
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