Alison's Aussie Adventures

Saturday High Tea then Cruise Bar

afischera — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:14:00 GMT

Saturday, October 11

This morning I got up early (after working two 12 hr days prior) to go with Madellen to take Chris to the airport. He was headed to Seattle for holiday, with strict instructions to say hello to the place for me. He actually lived there for six years (I think?). These Australians, it’s crazy, get ALL KINDS of time off. One of my good friends, Carolyn (who I met at the Katoomba Falls a few weeks ago), her brother, James, has worked for the government as the equivalent of an insurance adjuster. He’s been there for almost ten years, which means, brace yourself, he will have to (and they send you a letter TELLING you) take a THREE month PAID holiday. We think American government workers have it good. Can you imagine???

Madellen needed me to go with her to drop Chris off because she has her “Learner’s Permit”. In order to get your driver’s license here, you first have to spend 120 hours, logged, practicing with a licensed driver in the car. SO, I went with her to be that person for the ride back from the airport. Driving is taken very seriously, as it should be. No messing around. People simply DON’T drive drunk. And there isn’t much road rage, speeding, or even distracted driving. You can’t talk on your mo-BILE either. There is a demerit system. You have 12 points, and you lose those for things like driving (or having passengers) with no seat belt, speeding, etc. If you are caught drunk driving, you can’t really drive anymore. No one will give you insurance. Bummer for you, but really, isn’t that how it SHOULD be??

After I got home from the airport, I got dolled up to meet Carolyn, Maheeta, and a bunch of other girls at the Victoria Room Tea House in Darlinghurst for “High Tea”. It was Loretta’s 30^th birthday party, so we got a room downtown (actually a large apartment with a view- see photos J) The plan was for the girls to all go have tea, then meet at the room to get dressed up (in entirely different attire) to go out to the Cruise Bar that night to celebrate.

Something I’ve learned; don’t trust the instructions on your power converter. Thought I would use the outlets in the kitchen, where they are likely to be the highest wattage. Plugged in the converter, then put the plug adapter on my hairdryer. And we had sparks and a loud noise. With a smell. Whoops. Thankfully, the outlet was okay. My hairdryer, on the other hand… not so much.

Tea was great. We went to a place called the Victoria Room in Darlinghurst. It was a bit like tea at the Empress, only a little less formal. I'm tellin ya, the pastries and sandwiches in this great big country are incredible, and this was no exception. Us girls ended up having tea for three hours. I could get used to this tradition...

After tea (and a little champagne- which is all the rage here), we got all dressed up (with a room full of boys waiting patiently). Had an amazing evening at a fabulous club situated smack dab in between the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House, right on the water. And I found another true love; dim SIMS. SO good.

We headed back to the room, grabbed some Kebabs for a snack (no, they aren’t meat and veggies cooked on the Barbie; it’s like a pita bread, with yummy meat, salad, tomatoes, cheese, and sauce all rolled up and grilled on a sandwich press/grill), then nite nite time.

Hmmm... a day of eating a celebrating. I think I like it here... :)

Gallery: My Post Office Box

afischera — Thu, 2 Oct 2008 22:58:00 GMT

Gallery: Sydney Surround Trip

afischera — Thu, 2 Oct 2008 22:41:00 GMT

Gallery: New Pals & The Jenolan Caves

afischera — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:22:00 GMT

The Jenolan Caves

afischera — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:50:00 GMT

Woke up today and ventured into Katoomba, still managing to maneuver the car. Stopped at a chocolate shop that my guide book recommended and sure enough- the handmade treats were delicious! I was headed out to the Sky Tour out in the mountains, by the Three Sisters rocks (will explain later), when I decided to stop at the Katoomba Falls to take a look-see.

The scenery was beautiful, so I stopped to take some pictures of how high up I was. Next to me was a guy taking photos with a really fancy-schmancy camera. He said to me, "it's a long way down, huh?" in an AMERICAN accent! So, we started chatting and met up with his partners in travelling crime, another American guy and his Australian wife. Both guys, (photo-taker is Wayne, other guy is Max) are US Marines (Wayne is not enlisted anymore). So, Carolyn and Max live in Florida where Max teaches for the Marines at one of the Universities. We all started chatting and they invited me to go down to the Jenolan Caves with them. Since I had my own car, I agreed to follow them down.

The drive was about an hour, in which I got to see my first kangaroo and wallaby in the wild. Both in the form of road kill. Bummer.

The caves were absolutely amazing; the company was even better. The four of us just clicked. Cracking jokes, taking pictures, commiserating about the sometimes baffling Aussie habits, etc. It was a great day.

After the caves, I had to go back to the hostel for the night since I had my stuff there. But, my new BFFs invited me to come back to Sydney for the next couple of days since the boys would be heading back to the states on Sunday. Carolyn would be staying behind to visit with her family here for a couple of weeks (remember, she's an Aussie, married to a US Marine).

So, I went back to the hostel in Katoomba with plans to wake up early to go meet up with the crew in Sydney. This wasn't part of my plan, to go back to the city, but why the heck not??? I decided to hang with them for a few days, then continue on with my original plan to visit the Hunter Valley wineries after they leave. Fly by the seat of my pants. What-evs!!! Ended up being the best spontanious diversion of my trip so far.

Trip to Katoomba

afischera — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:35:00 GMT

On my way out of the city towards the Blue Moutains I stopped in the outlying city of Parramatta to stock up. I just have to say, the Target in Australia is thoroughly dissapointing. Their clothes are lame, housewares scarce, and there's no popcorn upon entering. BUT, I did get some (relatively) cheap groceries and an adapter to use my iPod in the car (SO WORTH IT!!!) Once I found the car (shopping malls and garages are completely counterintuitive here, in my humble opinion ;), I headed out towards the mountains. On the left side of the highway. Sitting on the right side of the car.

Once in Katoomba (a dedicidedly bohemian town that's the epicenter of the Blue Mountains), I found the hostel that my quidebook recommended. Never stayed at a hostel before and I am SOLD!! This one is supposedly very laid back. I have a bunk in a room with 7 other people (!), but they have a full kitchen with ares and supplies for you to store and cook your food, every kind of cooking utensil you could need, hundredes of free movies to borrow, free wireless internet, community areas with wood fireplaces, tea and coffee galore, bathrooms, outdoor seating with a fireplace (it's actually quite cold here right now), and people from ALL OVER THE WORLD. For $24 a night. Done and done. Signed up for Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Tomorrow, the caves.

Sydney Surround Tour

afischera — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:56:00 GMT

Yesterday I did the unthinkable. I rented a car in a country where they drive and sit on the WRONG side. After having been here for almost three weeks, I felt ready. Since day one I have been walking, turning, filing, crawling, and BREATHING on the LEFT LEFT LEFT. And it paid off. The car was in downtown Sydney, and the biggest challenge was getting back to Chris's house in East Lindfield to pick up my luggage. It went smooth as silk. In fact, I let out a little squeal of excitement and self-praise when i pulled into the driveway after maneuvering through downtown and the Harbour Tunnel without so much as a slip. It was actually rainy yesterday- but hey- driving in the rain is in my DNA.

So, I picked my stuff up (ALL of it) and headed west towards the Blue Moutains, which are about 2 hours from Sydney. And Jane was right- they are really just hills. But they have a beautiful blue mist over them that, to the unknowing, might be mistaken for smog. But oh no, my little snarklings! That mist is from the eukalyptus trees! The plan: drive to the Blue Mountains. Stay at the Flying Fox Hostel in Katoomba for two nights. Then drive back through Sydney and north to the Hunter Valley Vineyards. Spend one night there, take a winery tour, then head back towards Sydney and down the coast to the Northern Beaches for some quality time with the sand.

Motorbike Ride with Madellen

afischera — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:52:00 GMT

So far this last Saturday has been the highlight. Madellen, Chris's friend, took me for a ride around the city on her "motorbike"- scooter to us. Her name is "Lola". And she's a showgirl. ;)

We hopped on the bike from Madellen's office and rode down to the Fish Market in Pyrmont. SO amazing- this place made the Pike Place Market look like the pre-school of ocean creatures. There's a large asian population in Sydney, as well. SO, when we ordered fish and chips at one of the counters, we had to literally throw elbows to place our order and pay. But it was fully worth it. And Madellen bought a kilo of prawns (HUGE!!!!!). We sat outside in the sun and ate our lunch. FYI: crows are just as sneaky and agressive down under as they are in Seattle.

After we ate, we hopped on Lola and rode up to Newtown, which is kind-of similar to Capitol Hill. A little on the funky side, but very fun. This is Madellen's place: she literally looks like a 50's pin-up girl. SO pretty, only wears black and red, and rides a black motorbike. The two of us, scooting around Sydney in the sun to go shopping and have coffee. THIS is what I came here for.

My First Nanny Job

afischera — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:45:00 GMT

Wednesday and Friday I was lucky enough to take care of little missies Jessica (6), Mia (4), and Georgie (22 mo). Very cute family in a really beautiful neighborhood, Rose Bay. Rose Bay is just past Double Bay, where Nicole Kidman has her Sydney house. Just to give you an idea of what we're talking about. The mom was SO nice; she stays at home with her beautiful daughters and helps with the plans for the new house they are building.

New words for me: the "bin" (garbage), and "nappy" (diaper). Nappy will be hard for me to get used to. Oh, and "pram" (stroller). Which Gerogia and I used to go to the park to play. As soon as I talk, the other moms get quieter. It's that dang accent again! It throws people off! So funny!

It was really nice to be in a busy house with kids and toys and crap all over the place- that's my comfort zone. And it was really fun- the kids were GREAT, and when the older ones were at school, Georgia took a 3 hour nap! So I watched movies. My life is so rough. :)

Walked to the grocery store...

afischera — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:21:00 GMT

My big outing today was a walk to the grocery store. Actually, I walked there and was planning to take the bus back. Think I am getting a bit over-confident with the buses. Normally I study and plan every bus ride before I leave, but this time I thought I would wing it. Won't do that again. Walked home in the cold (seriously, cold enough that I couldn't feel my fingers!), carrying four bags full of food.

So cute though... after I finished paying, this mom (who had three kids with her) came up to me and said, "I'm so sorry, but my son wants to know what kind of ice cream you are buying? He said he likes that kind." I only had a tub of yogurt that may have looked like ice cream to him. I told her it was yogurt. And the kids all did a double take and looked at me like I must be from Neptune when they heard my accent. The little girl asked me what country I'm from. I told her and then asked what country SHE's from. SO cute!!

Saturday with the Girls

afischera — Tue, 9 Sep 2008 21:44:00 GMT

Saturday afternoon one of Jane's "mates" picked me up to go stay the night at her place in Chatswood (about five minutes from East Lindfield, similar to Bellevue). She has the CUTEST little apartment where she lives with her sweet little Jack Russel, Missy Moo. Who only has three legs, as of about three months ago. She is SO cute- similar to Meg's dog, Cooper, in that she thinks she is a very large, vicous doberman.

We hung out at her house, made some pizzas (okay, SHE did), then got all dressed up to go out to a new bar, The Ivy. Michelle just got her makeup license, so I can't wait to learn more from her!

We had an absolute blast (I added a picture of the girls), and I got to try Vegemite later that evening, when we got home. I'm going to have to acquire a tast for it; it was okay, just a bit strong. But Aussies hold it near and dear to their hearts, so I'm going to "give it another go".

Sunday morning I walked to the Chatswood Mall, sipped a giant smoothie, and wandered around with all of the other shoppers like a lemming. Took the train from there to the Lindfield Station, then walked back to the house, about 3 kilometers away. Been doing a lot of walking. Very healthy, but not quite as time effecient as I'm used to. :)

When I got back to the house I recieved an e-mail from my mom that my grandpa in Michigan was unconscious and in the hospital. He had had a seizure, and probably over-dosed on his insulin. The next morning I spoke with my mom, and he had died that night. It's so hard to not be with my family during something like this, but it's a reality of living so far away.

Bus Ride and Pub Crawl

afischera — Sun, 7 Sep 2008 17:24:00 GMT

Friday morning I woke up to an absolute downpour! Felt like home. I stayed in and got my Aussie cell phone working. So exciting. I have numbers for six people. Woo-hoo.

That night I planned to catch the bus into North Sydney to meet Chris and Madellen (that's how she spells it, btw :) but it didn't arrive. To the Sydney bus system's credit, it was a Friday night and raining like crazy. SO, I was waiting for the bus and a driver of another route asked me if I needed help (that's just HOW they are here!), so I told him that I was waiting for a bus that was 30 minutes late. After chatting for a bit, he offered to give me a special escort on his off-duty bus since he was about to head into the city for an express route and didn't have any stops till he got there. Given that he was an older man who works for the City of Sydney Buses, I accepted the offer and got a private ride on a rickety old bus to the pub! I think water was dripping from the roof on the inside.

Anyhow, I met up with Chris and Madellen at an old haunt of his, The North Sydney Hotel (that's what they call some of the pubs, hotels. I don't get it either) Had some dinner there, then went up the street to the Anzac Club. New South Wales (the state Sydney is in) has these curious places called "Clubs", mostly run by veteran's rugby non-profit groups. Visitors can get in free, otherwise membership is really cheap, like $40 a year! They are kind-of like casinos (they have "pokies"), but they also have lots of community activities, dinners, drinks, etc. for really cheap. Interesting crowd- mostly older folks.

From there we went to the "Owl", similar to a hoighty-toighty Kirkland bar. Stayed there for about twenty minutes, then went to sing Karaoke at a place called the "Pickled Possom". The kind of place where they keep the beer bottles in a cooler filled with ice and use the same ice for the mixed drinks! It was so weird- every song was American! And they all knew the words to ever one! So fun! All in all it was a great night. One of the best parts about being out at night here is knowing that Australians DO NOT drive when they have been driking. Some places have a blood alcohol limit of .02! And there are random breathalizer tests. Smart.

Trip Into the City

afischera — Sat, 6 Sep 2008 12:31:00 GMT

Thursday morning I woke up with a mission. Decided to attempt the Sydney bus system and go downtown. It was incredibly easy. I walked around for a long time, decided that my laptop is rediculously heavy, and found a cafe with free wi-fi. That was a god-send. Here's something weird; an "Americano" is called a "Long Black" here. And if you want milk, they have to do it for you and you get a weird look. No cream here. At least not sitting out.

After the cafe, I figured out how to take the train (subway) to King's Cross from downtown. That's one of the Sydney neighborhoods, a bit similar to Capitol Hill in Seattle. Met up with Chris and his friend Madellen to go have Tapas for dinner. That's when I got the best view I've seen so far. Just below the Sydney Harbor Bridge, across the water from the Opera House. Took my breath away. Really. I'll write more soon! FYI, it's been pouring down rain since I arrived!! Guess I brought it with me... :)

Gallery: First Pics

afischera — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 10:19:00 GMT

Where I'm staying for now...

Maiden Voyage Day

afischera — Thu, 4 Sep 2008 15:51:00 GMT

Okay, it SMELLS good here. Really good. Like flowers, with deadly poisonous snakes lurking at their roots.

Imagine this… sailing right through the immigation line at the airport cuz I thought they might want to take a look at my supplements from the Naturopath- just in case there is some type of dried flower that they don’t like in Australia. Got me through lickedy split. Then, Jane’s friend Chris was right there to pick me up. We take the long way home to his house (in East Lindfield, about 30 min from the airport), and I get my first gander at (and ride over) the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Even with the chilly, overcast weather, this place is beautiful beyond words.

The house I’m staying at for now is a huge, gorgeous, in a really safe neighborhood (reminds me of Mercer Island a bit), and empty. Really. Chris lives in a mother-in-law downstairs. And his parents were literally on their way out the door to visit their son in Denver for the next three months. Seriously, I’m the luckiest person on earth. I have a giant room, beautiful attached bathroom, BALCONY overlooking a tropical jungle-revine. There are tons of birds and trees and nothing else. And just blocks up the street is the perfect little shopping area with a tiny grocery store, pharmacy, children’s shop, butcher, produce stand and perfect little café with meat pie. Had my first one right after I arrived yesterday morning. Jury is still out on that one.

When Chris got home last night he warmed up a Shepard’s Pie that him “mum” made for us. Meat Pie and Shepard’s Pie in one day! We watched episodes of the British show The Office (the one that the US version is modeled after). SO funny!

I managed to stay awake all day yesterday, in order to overcome jet lag. THAT was a small miracle. Went to bed and woke up this morning ready to go into Sydney!

Oh, and it looks like every car on the road is driving itself around. And they all happen to have a passenger in the front seat. Talk about double takes, over and over and over.

FYI: Having trouble with the Vonage phone. I will let you all know when it starts working. There IS wireless at the house, so I should be able to get it figured out in the next couple of days.

Here I come Australia!

afischera — Thu, 4 Sep 2008 15:36:00 GMT

Okay- here I am at the Auckland, New Zealand Airport. Made it over the equator and across the International Date Line and starting to actually FEEL far away. But, everyone around me is still human, willing to help, and probably feeling some degree of “unsettled-ness” as well.

Note to self: Pack better. WAY better. At Sea-Tac my main suitcase (yes, there are two) was 19 pounds over weight. However, the second was under. SO, to avoid the $275 fee (!!!), my “see-me-off cohorts” (Meg, Mom, Dad, and Deb) totally RALLIED on my behalf to re-arrange my luggage. My two bags flung open, me sitting there on the floor on the verge of tears (after a scare regarding my Visa which was really just the ticket agent mis-reading the info) and Meg, Mom, Dad, and Deb started throwing clothes, shampoo bottles, shoes and hair products back and forth between the two bags. I was reassured that this is a common practice when I noticed the huge area set aside at the check-in counter complete with five or six luggage scales. Phew- it’s not just me! So, thanks to my crew’s logistical brilliance, my bags were balanced out. I did have to fill an empty back-pack with extra weight and add that to my already huge carry-on load, but at least I avoided the extra charge. Once I arrive in Sydney we’ll see if my shoulders still work.

The flight here from San Francisco was just fine. Watched a couple of movies, TV shows, read, listened to my iPod and managed to get in a few hours of sleep. And, the food was crazy-good. Who KNEW??!!

Just getting ready to board for Sydney! Here I come… new life chapter…