G-day Mates...I wanted to remember to bring the Australian dictionary with me while I wrote this note...but forgot it. Perhaps I'll return to this later, edit it, and you can try to understand what I'm writing about after having read it once in 'propa' english.
Needless to say, it's a funny thing listening to Aussies...shortening everything that takes to long to say, and lengthening all the shorter words and expressions into complex and unique descriptions.
Anyway...life on the road continues to be filled with 'HEAPS' of adventures. Australia, qutie fortunately, was filled with visits with friends and family, and despite the time and separation from our loved ones at home gets tougher and tougher...the trip keeps getting better!
Things started off well when we arrived in the Sydney airport and Julia let out a little scream/shreik when she saw her most FAVORITE THING IN THE WORLD (huge exageration...)...a KRISPY KREME shop!!! We dined on 'PROPA' doughnuts...then, sufficiently saffonsified, we flew to Cairns...the plane filled with Japanese tourists. Cairns was a little dirtier, but pleasantly cheaper than we expected. It was hotter than hell, humid and rainy (being the rainy season). We toured around the city the next day...trying to find an affordable dive company as our real desire for Cairns was the opportunity to try our new diving licences out on the Great Barrier Reef. Having read a BRUTAL article on the airplane about the man-killing jelly fish (stingers), and seeing a horrible scuba diving movie (great choice)...we were somewhat hesitant about the whole idea, but found ourselves a decent 2-day/one-night liveaboard scuba trip.
I've gotta go...will finish this later...sorry for the short entry!
TW
I'm back...in Thailand now...what a GREAT PLACE!! Can't wait to tell you about that. ANyway...we've already traded our lonely planet Australia for Thailand...so I'll not be able to wow you with our newly 'learned aussie terms'. BUMMA!
SO...off we went on some crazy dive boat out to the biggest natural formation on the earth. TO be brief...Julia was scared shitless, wanted to turn back, but found her Zen and forged on. The boat crew was good...but somewhat irritating in their relentless pursuit of crowd laughter and cheering...too early in the morning and with too many bad jokes that didn't make us feel any better. Whatever...we dove, we saw, we loved. On our first dive, however, somehow Julia ran out of air incredibly fast, and we had to surface perhaps 50m from the boat. The resulting swim brought us through the BIGGEST school of jellyfish we'd ever seen (the only one we've seen mind you), resulting in placaebo stinger marks all over our bodies (kidding). Luckily, they were gentle ones, and the last we saw. We dove 5 times that day, about 30-40 minutes each one, seeing life like turtles, HUGE fish, TINY fish, AMAZING coral and colour, rays, eels, and finally...a shark! The pussy cat of all sharks...the reef shark, found lying on the sandy bottom with me in it's face...it was docile and despite being at least as big as Jaws (about 5 feet long)...quite thrilling. We had a night dive later-on...guarenteed to see sharks (eyes glowing green in our puny flashlights...indicating shark presence when it's 10 feet from you) and other big fish. Indeed, we saw another shark...and knowing that they are attracted to light, both Julia and I shone our flashlights on each other in an attempt to get it to swim away from ourselves! In a huge ocean, with 10 feet visibility at night...it was another exhilerating experience. THe over-night boat experience was cool...a gentle rocking while we slept, good food, tired and nitrogen filled bodies, it was a real stretch of our scuba repertoires! We met some fantastic people on board too...hopefully some we'll meet up with again along the way.
From there...we were off to Adelaide to see Dan and Peta. We had originally hoped that we'd travel with them from Cairns to Sydney...but when they couldn't make that work...we simply HAD to get south to see them, and switched our route from Adelaide to Sydney...a reversal...and definitely one for the better. From here on in, Australia became an experience wof friends and family. We spent 4 awesome days of catching up and adventure in Adelaide...some activities including; a tour of their city and places of work, markets, etc; DELICIOUS meals every night combined with fantastic australian wines, conversation, stretching excercises, and developing/expanding friendships; a driving tour through the McLaren Vale region including a stop at the Tintara winery (where we got to taste a limited muskat made from a 90-year old based chardonay that was absolutely fantastic...only 40 cases made, and 40 down the drain after the nozzle got stuck on when pouring!), a tour to their friends gorgeous natural garden acreage, andtique tool and plant nursery, and a visit with another of their friends' very unique intrument/music abode (master crafter of drums, xylophones, rainsticks, etc.). After this, we jetted out to a beach to bask, friz-B, and get stung by MEANER jelly-fish while watching wild dolphins swim and play just a few yards off shore. Yes...Dan and I felt the sting of some unfortunate jelly fish...but only swelled up for a few hours as a result. That night (I think), we ate out at a VERY cool little beach cafe, went home and enjoyed some more vino. The next day...we had another first experience when we interacted in the raw with kangaroos, koalas, emus and more indigenous Aussie wildlife. Julia really took to the Koalas and had the chance to hold one...a fury substitute for her weee neices...but still bloody cute!. We saw the hilarious movie called Aristocrats (not for the tame or the proper) and...you guessed it...we MUST have enjoyed more wine that night too! Finally it was our unfortunate time for us to part ways. Julia and I had rented a little car and purchased a cheap tent and airmattress set to see us cheaply through our drive along the infamous GREAT OCEAN ROAD!! In both our opinions...it was beautiful, but more like the not so great ocean road in the end. All the hype gets you excited for more than it was...or perhaps we were just still reeling from the awesome time we had with our dear friends! Whatever...we had some definite highlights along the way! For example...the first night, we slept on the floor of a bathroom...being surprisingly cold at night in our 'tent-too-short' (for me anyway) and our 'sleepingbags-too-thin' kind of camping. We moved our 'air-mattresses-too-thick' into the little bathroom and slept a few more hours until it was WINE TASTING TIME!!! Nothing like getting up after a bad nights sleep and hitting the booze haha. We were in the Coonawarra region of South Austalia. If you havn't tried their wine...GET IT...if you have, you'll know why a budding wine enthusiast like me is so excited for it! Anyway...we visited Wynn's, Jameison's, and Leconfield wineries. We went through the whole gambit of their tastings, ports and all (ALL FANTASTIC!!). If you need a full wine report...ask me...but suffice to say that their Shiraz grapes are the PEPPERIEST grapes ever (wonderful taste if you like it!), they are rich in fruit, and second to few wines in the world! Julia drove from then on that day taking us through many small costal towns, none of which we spent much time in. We stayed (we think) in a place called Port Campbell...a camp ground with no real associated excitement except that they loaned us some blankets for the night so we didn't freeze again (we almost considered stealing them...but, being too Canadian...we didn't haha). I think it was this day that we almost ran over one of the most venomous snakes in Australia...a brown snake...sunning on the road. Stopping to see, but not getting out of the car as our hebbie-geebie meter was already peeking. I think it was this day too that we stopped along the drive to see a wonderful pelican nursery ground. Well...it SMELLED of thousands of Pelicans, and I'm sure it'd have been wonderful if you had a portable hubble telescope...but, the shit-smell was the most interesting part of that stop.
Don't get me wrong...the drive was sort of serene...and the closely spaced costal stops were NEAT...but you just don't get a feel for anything with 20 minute or even 1hr stops. You see, you feel and smell, and leave too soon. A better choice mind you than a highway as it breaks up the drive. We spent our next night in the surf capital of Australia...Torquay. It was a larger town...very nice (what town isn't on miles of gorgeous beach?), and once again, we were thrilled to have blankets loaned to us. We ate chinese, walked around a lot, went to the beach and watched the surfers (we figured we'd try to surf in Sydney with our friends' board...so didn't bother using our precious few dollars on renting one this time) and didn't feel the need to chill ourselves to the bone in the cool water before another chilly night. However...the night wasn't that chilly...it had another surprise. It was monsoony!! A wind blew up that we were sure would pick us up and move us...and the rain came down hard! Our 30$ tent, however, seemed to hold NOT too badly until early morning when the drips woke us. We packed up in our swim suits and rain coats...then went to McDonalds (what any sane person would do after a near death night...to exagerate Julia style)...and tried to find good, hip bathing suit deals at the factory outlets for ripcurl, billabong and roxy. We found some minor items in bargain bins...all too small for us...adding to the sexiness (right?) hahaha. You should SEE me in my new extra small speedo!! Mum...ALL the cool kids in australia are wearing them haha!
Onwards to Melbourne. Thinking the commonwealth games were on then...we were semi-excited to be in a big city again. However...the rain, along with the fact that the games were a month away...along with the price of hostels and parking made us FLEE Melbourne ASAP. We gave it a few hours...enough time to get some fruit and chocolate for the road! We decided to surprise my brother Korb and meet him in Euchuca, Victoria that night...how we were going to meet up with him depended ALL on a guy's cell phone number who we didn't even know his name. I know it now...it's Marty, and his number is 519-360-7000...if you give him a call, tell him Tyler and Julia say HI hahaha. Kidding Marty. Whatever...we stopped for a pizza supper along a BEAUTIFUL country drive with rainbows, dry farm land, amazing trees, and sunsets. It really was nice...but unfortunately, when I called Mr. ?'s (Marty) phone...no answer was there. I left a message with details on our arrival in what MUST be a puny little town of Euchuca...and that we'd hunt them down hotel to hotel when we arrived. Oh...as an aside, Korb just so happened to be in that area for 1 month on a 'farm education' tour. He was one of the educators giving talks with a group of people specializing in nutrition, semen, mixers, and farming (Korb). Quite the crew!!! Actually...they were all AMAZING people...very relaxed, fun and easy to dine in luxurious restaurants with!! haha! Anyway...as it turned out, Euchuca's population, normally quite small-ish...more than trippled on that very weekend as they have some CRAZY speedboat race called the Southern 80. Essentially, supped-up boats, going 150kph+ in a tiny, windy river raced for 80km at top speeds...Oh yeah...they have to pull not 1 but 2 waterskiers on not 2 but 1 ski the whole way. The skiers are as young as 6 years old...and some of the locals later told us that every year people die in this race...decapitated by geese, hit by boats, etc. Indeed...at least one died this year too.
ANYWAY (breathe)...the town was quite big...Marty's phone was off...all hotels were FULL...they ended up arriving late...Korb wasn't registered under his own name...etc. All contributing to our decision to spend the night parked in a discreet lot (forgetting how casual Aussies are and likely wouldn't CARE that we slept in the car)...and slept in the car. Julia LOUNGING in the back seat on the mattresses...me squished into the front seat of a mini car. Kidding...we were both quite uncomfortable...but we save at LEAST 50 bucks hahaha. Early the next morning, we sat at one of the 3 main roundabouts with the hopes of spotting Korb driving by on his way to talk farming. We didn't...so toured what turned out to be a very cool little town with the biggest fleet of steam boats in the world (to add to their crazy race)...and some fantastic port!! Yes...once again we got lured into trying some free port at 9am. Drunk (kidding)...we stumbled upon Korb's location (long story) and planed to meet him in their new town of SHepparton later on. So...until then, we headed out to tour some more, see a controversial movie (Jarhead) and then drove off to meet the crew. Jim, John, Janet, Julia (for the J's), Marty, Korb and I spent the next 3 days together and had a wonderful time!! The crew, on a business trip, deservingly treated themselves well every night to fine food, wine and conversation. For us...we just lucked out that the tour happened to be run by Australians (some of the most genuinely generous people in the world). The hotels were comfy and VERY lavish by our standards...and a pleasant change to the car, a tent or a bathroom for a bed! We toured one day through irrigation lagoons, fruit-farming country, and some AMAZING wineries (Brown Brothers and All Saints)...tasting at least 30 wines over the course of these days. We dined that night at an amazing Italian restaurant run by a lovely man I'll call Alberto for the sake of pretending that I remember his name (wish I did). Korb and I tried Kangaroo...very good (mind you, the arse from a rotten skunk would have tasted good there), much like beef, no need to try again since it was so much like beef and they are cuter than cows for us Canucks. I also had veal so the Kangaroo didn't feel too picked on haha. The next day we visited a large dairy farm before driving to Wagga Wagga. We went to Hugh Grants house that night...to be continued.
Yes...HUGH GRANT!!! Aussie style of course, but when I saw Julia perk up the MINUTE we walked in the door, and even felt a little perk in my 'step'...(yeah...I kinda like Hughey)...it was real. As close to identical as I can imagine...a funny sarcastic man who had the sleepy eyes and loved to tease. We had a NICE dinner that night with the lot of us, Hugh and his wife (Jim and Helen), and a sly older hunk I only remember as the pipe smoking 'Silver Fox'. The laughter and conversation filled the huge and beautiful room looking east onto an Aussie countryside that was picture book quality...180degrees of olive vines, yellow fields, distant hills, huge hardwoods, sunset and eventually a full moon. As the Silver Fox was a pipe smoker and connaisseur (smoking from the worlds two best pipes...so he claimed...a white dot from England and some other NOrwegian or Hungarian thing)...I thought it was time to try my hand at smoking pipe! I've always liked the smell of it...and figure this trip is one of new experiences...so I Slyly asked old Silver if he'd mind me having a drag of his newly packed pipe! He did in fact...much to my surprise and disbelief. I compared it with the North American Indians and a peace pipe..but he'd have none of it, and marched off to get me my own pipe hahaha. Silly man...I only wanted a puff, but had the whole bowl from his second best pipe (the worlds' in fact haha). Funny. Needless to say, I'm not a pipe smoker, by my choice and Julia's command haha. One little thing worth the try though so I can tell my kids someday to trust Dad's experience and leave tobacco ALONE!
We parted ways with our 'sponsor group' the next morning. Sad to see them go...along with our luxury...but, like the littlest hobo, time to move on. We headed to Katoomba on a scenic drive through the Blue mountains west of Sydney. It was a very cool little town with some good scenery and shops. We looked over some daunting cliffs, viewed where the tourists are expected to view...discussed the various improvements they could make to the place, compared it with what we know...and moved on. It was a smaller treed version of the grand canyon we figure...but should have had a cheap bungy jump! A nice day anyway. We found another book for Julia to not read (inside joke), set up our tent on a pile of dog shit, and went out for a pre-valentines day thai dinner. Just days away from being in thailand...but we still can't get enough of the food! We were introduced to Tom Ka...the most amazing soup in the world to us right now...and had a wonderful meal for FINALLY a reasonable price! It rained that night, but our trusty tent held tight and we were moderately comfortable. Had we been sleeping in that our first night on the trip...we'd have been MISERABLE...but it's amazing what luxuries you get used to being without!
Onwards to Sydney. We had our typical HUGE FIGHT over direction giving and taking, navigator to driver...big exageration...but we now know that we must both be exceptionally calm and reasonable when navigating through new territory or risk all out relational war hahaha...but, as always, we found our way with very few problems or illegal U-turns. We arrived to our friend Fiona's and Daz's house (Aussie for Darren), finding Fiona (our new friend we met hiking the Inca trail) home and under the weather...but were soon off to return the car (more minor scraps getting through the heart of Sydney...that has a significant lack of obvious street signage) and spend a day around the harbour. We saw the opera house and decided to tour it rather than go to an expensive opera. The tour was alright...but if you compare it to the one in Buenos Aires...it was a fart in the wind. Big place though, and worthy of seeing a show or two at. We walked on the bridge...figuring that climbing the stupid thing wasn't worth more than TWICE the price as one expensive opera ticket (165$!!!...what kind of SUCKER would spend that kind of money to be 50 feet higher in the air and tied to a bridge??...only my humble opinion of course)...we walked the streets, watched another crappy street performer KNOWING that Dan and Peta would kick his ass and wishing that more of them had more originality...then took the subway home. En route home...Julia had the unfortunate event of a good toe stubbing! YEOUCH...seeing blood and peeled back nails left my bum in shivers, and her in whimpers. In Samurai warrior style...she taped it up, and walked home without a grimace haha. We met up with a much chirpier Fiona who took us to a bar for cheap and good steak with Janine (another Inca trail friend!). Good times...off to a comfortable bed after a few glasses of port with the VERY earthly and salty guy, Daz. The next day, after a good sleep, we spent time around their neighbourhood of Cronulla, having an easy day. Here is where we traded Julia's new and unread book in (again) for the one she's really been after...memoires of a geisha. Now we're both reading Japanese books (me SHogun)...and becoming very civilized indeed haha. We cooked them all a meal that night for late after their outrigger practice. The girls both canoe competitively in 6-person outrigger canoes. They look tough as nails...paddling hard for hours...while Daz, us and their CUTE old killer of a dog (Cody) had a walk on the beach and around the harbour. Oh yeah...they also took us to the fish research place where they work. A very cool set-up where Daz saved the feeding of the HUGE red snapper for us to see. As it turns out...Daz, who's research mimics much of what has been done in Canada, while neglected in Aus...anyway...he's read DOZENS of Steve Cooke's research papers, admires it, was thrilled to know that we knew him and could hopefully put him in contact with Steve!! SO...Steve and Andrea...you have eventual guests coming your way on our behalf!
We took a quick tour by ferry of the Sydney harbour the next day, getting to Manly beach for a few hours, enjoying the day and the VERY impressive city Sydney actually is. We both agreed that of all the cities we've been to...Sydney probably tops the list as our favorite! It really is beautiful with hundreds of harbours...like a combination of hundreds of small towns making up the city! We left our new friends after a fantastic farewell T-bone, a quick ride to the airport, and the accidental acquisition of Daz's swimming trunks. Ladies of Sydney...you're welcome hahaha. Long story short...Julia mistook his trunks in the back of his truck for mine. Anyway...onwards to thailand!! See you in the next entry!
