The Lankfords Down Under

A Fond Farewell

2009-05-03T04:59:00.009+10:00

The end of an era...all good things must come to an end...the time has come. It is with sadness that I must announce that this will be the last post to The Lankfords Down Under blog. Why, you ask? Or maybe you're saying, "It's about time. You haven't posted in forever." At any rate, the reason is valid...our time in Australia has come to an end. I've been back in the states for awhile now and Phil is finishing things up there and will be leaving for good at the end of next week. Looking back on this year I've come up with my last list. I call it...

If You Ever Told Me I'd Be Doing This One Day, I'd Call You Crazy...Seriously

1. Moving to Sydney, Australia and living there for a year. (gotta start with the obvious)
2. Flying Business Class. Sigh...it's never going to be the same again.
3. Driving on the left side of the road while from the right side of the car. (It's a miracle that nobody was hurt)
4. Living in an apartment building in the center of a major world city. (And one that looked like an Ikea exploded in it)
5. Sitting at a show in the Opera House in Sydney.
6.Watching a cricket match and kind of understanding it.
7. Eating Vietnamese food, Turkish bread and Thai.
8. Flying by myself to Tokyo, Japan to meet Phil at Tokyo Disney for my birthday.
9. Sitting on an open double-decker tour bus while driving through Little India, Little Arabia, and Chinatown while staying in Singapore.
10. Riding the Katoomba Scenic Railway at a 52 degree incline down the side of a mountain while spending the day in the Blue Mountains.
11. Taking pictures of a live kangaroo sitting by the side of the road.
12. Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef.
13. Going to a Japanese Fish Spa and having the fish eat the dead skin off of my feet and legs. Truly.
14. Watching the New Year's Eve fireworks over the Harbour Bridge from our balcony.
15. Sitting in a hot springs in New Zealand after a tasty dinner of lamb.

What a year. And while our adventures in Australia have come to an end, our adventures have not. Just stay in Philadelphia and work regular 9 to 5 jobs like everyone else? No, not the Lankfords.

We begin our next adventure this month. Good bye, Australia. Hello, England. Yes...that's right. It's going to look a little different this time. Phil will be in London with weekly little trips to Paris while I'll, for the most part, stay here in good ol' Philly. He'll come home here a week a month and I'll go over there a week a month. I know what you're thinking. That's a lot of time in a plane. But really, after close to 30 hour flights (including layovers) to Sydney, what's a measly 7 and 1/2 hour plane ride to London? I laugh in the face of a little 7 and 1/2 hour flight.

Once in Europe we'll try to get around to as many places as we can. And will this next year and a half be documented as well?? You bet. So head on over to www.lankfordsallover.blogspot.com (thanks, Claire for the ingenious name) and read along as I faithfully leave no stone unturned in our European travels.

Ride the Walrus Rocks!

2009-03-21T03:59:00.005+11:00

I have a confession to make. One that includes me saying, " I was wrong and Phil, you were right." I hate those kind of confessions. And the confession...I love Guitar Hero. (I was wrong, by the way, because I insisted that if we bought Guitar Hero, it would get used one time and then never again.)
Nothing says fun like all of us eating dinner together, the wives chatting and then wondering where did all the guys go, putting all of the kids to bed, and heading downstairs to the theatre room (because it needs to have big sound, according to Phil) and finding all the guys...Phil on drums, Rob and Gregg each with a guitar, and Jared on vocals in the middle of a rousing rendition of Livin' On a Prayer. Truly.
It all began two days prior when Phil and I were in a Best Buy. He challenged me to just try it and see if I liked it. Well...after delivering a sound defeat to Phil on Walk This Way, I was hooked. And then had to try it again. Compare it to Rock Band. And then try Guitar Hero again. Long story, short...we bought the whole band-2 guitars, drums, and microphone. Oh, and of course the extra Wii remote needed. Fast forward to last Friday night and Ride the Walrus was born. (The name of our band, of course.)
Sometimes it was just all the guys. Sometimes it was an all chick band. (Rock star talk, you know. And here's where I insert that our rendition of Beat It was spot on. Kudos to Kristi for some sweet drum action.) Sometimes it was a mix. All the time...so much fun!! So much fun that we realized that we'd been playing for 5 hours. So much fun that it found us running home after a movie on Sunday night to get in another hour or so before the Haus' sitter needed to leave. I just knew listening to Hotel California so much that I memorized the lyrics would come in handy some day.

There is Something I Agree On With the Obama Administration...

2009-02-28T04:28:00.005+11:00

Well...what do you know...I can now say that I fully agree with the latest news out of the Obama administration. The words hope, optimism, a common purpose and the like are now words we can share and rejoice in. Oh, yes we can.
The news? It has now been reported that Coke products and specifically, my beloved Diet Coke are the choice of drink at the White House over Pepsi products especially in regards to President Obama's senior staff. I'm wiping away the tears as I type.

I've Been Everywhere, Man!

2009-02-23T05:50:00.013+11:00

Look dad...I'm in Tapei!

Look dad...it's my best side!

Look dad...I've got street-cred now!

Look dad...the pieces are all coming together!

Look dad...my life is an open book!

Look dad...New York City is just not the same without you!

Look dad...my fans don't know if they're coming or going!

Look dad...I don't know...just look!

Look dad...even Putin loves me!

Hey Dad...It's Me, Sox

2009-02-13T07:56:00.007+11:00

Hey Dad!

Thought I'd hack in to the website and let you know what I've been doing since Mom's come home. Mostly eating and sleeping, but you probably already knew that. Played some with my ball, too. Wanted you to see me in the snow when we had a storm a few weeks back.

I was in my glory. Making tracks...rolling around in the snow...marking my territory. Here's the backyard, too.

The snow came down so slowly it just layed on all the tree branches. Cool, huh? Now of course after yesterday where it was 68 degrees, all traces of the snow have melted, but I enjoyed it outside then as well. Now because you can never have too many pictures of me...

Here I'm picturing the treat I'll get when I come inside. Can't wait to see you again...hope it's soon. Love ya', dad!

Have I Ever Told You That I Now Hate to Fly?

2009-01-29T11:09:00.007+11:00

Well...the short story is I'm back home. But this is a blog, so I'm going to tell you the long story. In the words of Sophia of Golden Girls fame...picture it...Sydney...last Monday...
Phil and I head to the airport to be there by 10:00 am for my 12:00 pm flight. Now for those not in the know, apparently January 26th is a holiday in Australia. It's Australia Day. Kind of like our 4th of July without the independence thing. Everyone carries or wears Australian flags (some literally, as in capes around their shoulders), has the day off of work, and many barbecue. It also means (for us in the city) road closures because of the classic car show that lined our street. Hence...the leaving extra early for the airport because we had to go an alternate route.

Anyways, we get to the airport and find out that my flight has a 5 hour maintenance delay. My first thought? Do I really want to get on an airplane that is going to cross the Pacific that just needed a 5 hour maintenance delay? My second thought? Well, shoot...I have a 5 hour delay before my 30 hour trip.

So Phil and I checked in my luggage and then left to go back to the festivities for a few hours. Well, from my previous post you've learned that it is hot in Sydney at the moment so I took off my sneakers and put on my flip flops to walk around. We got back to the apartment around 1:30 and Phil decided to go online to check the status of the flight.

Lo and behold...we learned the flight was now cancelled. I raced around the apartment grabbing my purse and my carry-on (that always has my ipod and at the very minimum 4 books, my crossword puzzle book, and my soduku book...remember, a 30 hour trip?). We get back to the airport and I have to go with an agent down through customs to baggage to retrieve my luggage. For a moment I thought I'd just made an episode of Border Security (one of my favorite Aussie tv shows) when the customs agents came towards us yelling that we couldn't come in this way. But made it through, got my bags, and wheeled them (all 3...yes, we are trying not to have to ship anything back, so everytime I come back to the states it looks like I've got everything but the kitchen sink in my bags) back to the ticket counter.

I was put on the United flight to Los Angeles that left at 3:15 and was on my way. After discovering that yes...I was still wearing my flip flops. No problem in LA, but a bit of a problem at my next connection. Which would be Toronto. Why? Because I was told that because it's an Air Canada flight, I have to have a connection in a Canadian city. Blame Canada, I say. And Toronto in late January is cold when you're wearing a light sweater and flip flops. The looks I was receiving as I was walking down the aisle were interesting. I could tell people wanted to ask me if I knew I was going to Toronto. Whatever.

Well...this is getting longer than I thought and American Idol is on in 10 minutes (I know...but I can't. stop. watching. it.)...so, I got to Toronto, thought I'd have to leave my bags there so I could get into the US customs hall before it closed, but 10 minutes before they closed, got my bags, made the mad dash to US customs, got on the flight and made it back to Philly at 10:45 pm on the same date that I took off . The longest Australia Day ever. So I toasted the holiday once I got back to the house with a nice glass of cold Diet Coke filled to the top with ice while petting Sox. Australia is nice, but oh...I love America.

Yeah...It's Hot Out.

2009-01-23T11:34:00.004+11:00

No, I'm not bragging about how warm it is here when everyone back home has been freezing. I'm complaining...it's really hot outside. We've been in the 90's for a bit now. It had been predicted that today was supposed to be in the mid 90's with it feeling like 110 (really...who likes to be outside when it feels like 110 degrees out?) but they're now saying it should feel like the mid 90's out. Ah, well...that's so much better.

I was on my daily walk yesterday...no, didn't see my running buddy...perhaps it was too warm for him? Anyways, I was on my daily walk and thought, "What the heck am I doing outside?" It was 9:00 am and the sun was already beating down on me. I'm sweating like a pig, I'm sure my face was bright red...just not worth it. And today is much of the same. Although I need to go out and get something for lunch. We are hitting the back of the empty food cabinet here at the Lankfords. On a totally different note...

Last Saturday, Phil and I had a fun day. We walked next door into the Botanical Gardens to take a tour of Government House in the morning. After our usual walk over to the Renaissance Cafe for coffee, tea, and warm ham & cheese croissants. Mmmm...

This used to be where the governor of New South Wales lived (until 1996) but now is just where the governor works. They also have receptions and dinners there for visiting heads of states. It was interesting (and free...what are the odds of that?) and had some really nice views of the harbour from the back gardens.

We then drove out to the suburbs because Phil needed his hair cut at the mall. We were going out there (the suburbs, not the mall) anyway to meet a couple from church for dinner but had some hours to kill before the dinner. And let me say before I go on...what is with the Australian practice of everything closing up at 5:00 pm? Even on Friday and Saturday nights? The only night of the week that anything is open past then is Thursday when things are open until 9:00. It's Saturday night...the stores are pulling their gates down to lock up...the food court is clearing out...and it's 5:00 pm. And our dinner wasn't until 7:00pm.

So...we hopped into the Jeep and drove over to the Sydney Olympic Park (just a few miles down the road) to see if anything was going on there. And we stumbled upon the Australian Youth Olympic Festival 2009! Going on from Jan, 14-18 was a group of 1,800 athletes from 25 countries competing in 19 sports. We walked into the Aquatic Center and were able to sit in the stands and watch some swimming competitions. Complete with medal presentations and singing of various countries' national anthems. I felt like I was at the Olympics. Sort of...the stands weren't that full and the athletes were just teens, but still...

All of this was to promote the...drum roll please...the first every Youth Olympic Games of 2010 to be held in Singapore! Truly! It's going to take place August 14-26 in 2010 for athletes between the ages of 14 and 18. The brochure we were handed (as well as the bracelet that Karen, I will give you for your Olympic collection) says that "Singapore 2010 will see some 3,600 young athletes from 205 National Olympic Committees competing in 26 sports comprising 201 events." Cool! For more info check out www.singapore2010.sg

Weekend on the Gold Coast

2009-01-16T08:59:00.011+11:00

We flew back from the Gold Coast early Tuesday morning and had a very fun weekend. Why is it called the Gold Coast, you may ask? Not really sure, but I think it may have to do with the great weather. I think I read somewhere in one of those brochures they plaster your hotel room with, that this area of Australia boasts over 300 days of sunshine every year. Hence...the Gold Coast.

We arrived Friday night and with some serious map reading (nope...there's still no chance of us ever competing together on the Amazing Race...I think we'd kill each other), we made it to our hotel, the Radisson at Palm Meadows. Saturday morning we drove about 15 minutes north to Warner Brothers Movie World. Think of a Six Flags park, but smaller...much smaller.

We were warned that it would be very crowded since it was the school holidays, but no...not really. We didn't wait longer than 15 minutes for any ride. I think their concept of crowded is a bit skewed. I was expecting Disney in June...but thankfully, not the case.

There's a kiddie section (the WB Fun Zone), Shrek 4D (I hate those 3D shows that squirt water in your face), you can see the Batwing Spaceshot in the above picture (uh...no...I did not go on that...I have this thing with heights), the Batman Adventure Ride (kind of like the Star Wars ride at Disney), the Lethal Weapon roller coaster, the Superman Escape roller coaster (which is below, and yes, I did get on that one...with my eyes tightly shut...can you see how high that first hill is?),

a log ride, some shows and arcade game shops, the Scooby Doo Spooky indoor roller coaster...and when I tried to take the picture of the outside of the building, look who rolls up in the Mystery Machine for the Scooby Doo Disco Detectives Show...zoinks!

The last thing we saw was the Hollywood Stunt Driver show. Very much like the stunt show at Disney's MGM park. Sunday morning we got up and drove over to Sea World. Here's my picture of the polar bear that would not turn around even if his life depended on it.

We did the Jet Rescue roller coaster (you're on side-by-side jet skis), the Corkscrew roller coaster, the Bermuda Triangle log ride, went to see the fish and sharks in the aquarium, watched the dolphin show, rode the monorail, did not go into the water park (I hate walking around parks in my wet bathing suit), watched the water ski show, and finally watched the Fish Detectives Sea Lion Show...picture below.

Sunday night we drove to the Australian Outback Spectacular...an "evening dinner show filled with outback music, drama, and action." (taken from their brochure). It is "set in a giant 1000 seat indoor arena with a cast of larger than life characters, amazing animals, and spectacular scenes featuring wild horses, stampeding cattle, bush vehicles and suberb horsemanship."

Everyone received cowboy hats (yes, truly) to wear during the show which included a three course dinner. Sorry...no pictures...they weren't allowed. But you can check out their website to see pictures of it. www.outbackspectacular.com.au Phil did get a picture of me in my hat next to one of the horses, but I look like a dork, so sorry...not posting it here.

Monday morning came very early...try 4:00 am. We set the alarm so we wouldn't miss the live showing (yes, at 4:00 am) of the Eagles/Giants game. Go Eagles!! What...do the Lankfords have to be out of the country for any Philly teams to win playoff games??? We already missed watching the Phillies win the World Series. Must we miss the Eagles in the Superbowl as well???

Later that morning we went to the golf course that our hotel is next to. Me...play golf?...right...I just drive the golf cart. It's so fun...I drive Phil to his next hole, park the cart, whip out my book, and read until he needs me to take him to the next hole. My kind of golf!

Monday night we went out for dinner (at a Lonestar Steakhouse, of all places) and then took a walk on the beach in Surfer's Paradise. (Really...that's the name of the city!) So pretty. Except for the amount of men with big guts who insist on wearing speedos. Why?? Again, why?? And there was the, well...no other way to say it but very large woman in the bikini with her head back, flinging her hair from side to side while pouring a sport bottle of water down her head and face. Phil leans to me and says, "That is an episode of Baywatch gone so bad." Literally, almost wet my pants I was laughing so hard. All in all, we had a very fun weekend!

Me and My Running Buddy

2009-01-09T14:21:00.005+11:00

No, no...I have not taken up running. Please, that's just silly. As I was on my daily hour walk in the park this morning, it occured to me as I saw my running buddy pass me again, that I've seen this guy a lot since we've been back in Sydney. No...nothing creepy. (At least I hope not.) We just both happen to run/walk in the park around the same time every day. Where am I going with this? Nowhere, really. Just making an observation...an observation that my life right now is at a pace that one may call leisurely. Some might say a crawl...What have my days been like since returning to Sydney?
Get up really early. Slept in till 7:45 this morning...finally getting back to a full night's sleep.
Eat toast and tea for breakfast. Mmm...my favorite breakfast food, toast.
Walk for an hour in the park. (and see my running buddy.)
Shower and get dressed. (I am dressed when I walk in the park. I know this is Australia, but I think even here, people would stare a bit at that.)
Go on the computer.
Play some Yahoo games. I'm frustrated I just can't get past making $360 a day in Penquin Diner. What is the secret?
Clean or do laundry.
Eat lunch.
Finish cleaning or laundry.
Go on the computer.
Read.
Maybe go on another walk. (Although it's been in the 90's here a lot this week...too hot for me.)
Sit on the balcony and people watch.
Eat dinner here or walk and meet Phil at some restaurant.
Watch reruns on tv. Seriously...Friends is still the funniest show on tv.
Go on the computer.
Read some more.
Go to bed.
Yeah...I know...my life is tough. But this weekend will break up the vigorous pace. Phil and I are flying to the Gold Coast tonight. I don't know too much about it, except that it's about an hour or hour and a half flight to an area on the coast (uh...duh) between Sydney and Brisbane. We're going to Sea World, Warner Brother's Movie World (sort of like Six Flags), and the Australian Outback Spectacular Dinner and Rodeo show. Whoo hoo! I'll be sure to post some pictures when we get back. That is, if I can fit it in sometime in my schedule.

Sure Beats the Ball Dropping!

2009-01-01T09:09:00.011+11:00

We saw some fantastic fireworks last night! The whole day was a bit surreal. I woke up (grrr at 3:45 am...just love getting used to the time zone changes) and put on shorts and a tee shirt. Shorts on December 31st. Just cannot get used to that. Did some quick grocery shopping in the city (after six weeks in the states, the cabinet was a bit sparse, to say the least.) I can now say that I've ridden in a taxi while surrounded by my bags of groceries. Weird.

On the ride back to the apartment, it didn't look like I was going to be able to get all the way back since the road closures for the fireworks had already begun. But the nice policeman who stopped the taxi took a quick look at me in the back seat surrounded by my bags of groceries and let us through. Thank you, kind sir!

I'm sure I looked comical enough if anybody saw me trying to grab all the bags in one trip (didn't happen...had to make two) from the taxi to the door of the building. I won't even mention trying to hold the door open and get all the bags into the lobby (that took three trips). I think that one may have rated a video on You Tube.

To say that the New Year's Eve fireworks in Sydney are popular is quite the understatement. People began lining up around the harbour area with their blankets, towels, umbrellas, and coolers of food at 12:00. That's 12:00 noon. Yep...these crazy people were willing to bake outside in the sun for a full 12 hours to get a prime spot to watch the fireworks.

But I think we had the best view! There was a mini-firework show at 9:00 pm for families with kids who wouldn't make it until midnight, a lighted boat parade, fireworks shot off of the office buildings next door, and of course, some great fireworks off of the Harbour Bridge and two barges in the harbour. We invited our pastor and his family from the church we attend here to join us and had a great time. If the idea of pulled pork sandwiches ever makes it big in Australia, you heard it here first, that the Lankfords brought it over from the states. They were a hit as well as the lasagna that I made. (No, Faith...not my famous pepperoni lasagna. I can't find pepperoni over here.) Here's some pictures of the night...enjoy!!

Part of the 9:00 pm show

Part of the boat parade (if you can see it in blurry picture...sorry about that)

Fireworks off of the tops of the office buildings next door

Part of the finale

From Our Home to Yours...

2008-12-23T07:37:00.006+11:00

I've had nearly 6 weeks of friends, family, and food to enjoy here in the states and there's more to come this week for Christmas! So much fun. I can't believe we head back to Australia on Sunday night. (I refuse to think of our 18 hour straight through flight to Singapore, couple of hours layover, and then an eight hour flight to Sydney. I want a smile on my face for the holidays and that just makes me feel bah, humbug.) So what has made my spirits bright this Christmas season? Here's my 12 Days of Christmas for you...

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

12 Parents and siblings (mom, dad, Karl & Becky, Eric & Karen, mom, dad, Darin & Chris, Matt & Dianne

11 Presents I'm getting from Phil for Christmas...yippee!

10 frequent guests of the Lankford home and the best friends ever (Jared & Kristi with Josh & Ethan; Rob & Faith with Grace & Jacob, Gregg & Ashley)

9 Nieces and nephews (Kyle, Jack, Jake, Sammy, Jordan, Hannah, Josh, Zach, & Alexandra)

8 Hundred hours of being with Sox (not really sure of the hours but I needed something for 8)

7 slices of pizza from Brother's (again, not sure of the number of slices but needed something)

6 Sundays at Langhorne Terrace Ministries (our church)

5 Friends called the DAGS (Diana, Robin, Joan, Kelly, and Mary)

4 Trips to Chick-Fil-A

3 Lunches At Panera

2 Christmas parties (our annual Sunday School party, and a CGCA Class of '91 mini-reunion)

and 1 Thanksgiving spent in Tipp City, Ohio.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. New Year's Eve will find us back in Sydney on our balcony taking in the firework show over the Harbour Bridge. Now that is something to look forward to...

Home, Sweet Home

2008-11-22T02:54:00.004+11:00

Made it back on Monday night. Man...that is one long flight. On the bright side, I have to do it all over again at the end of December. Oh wait...after the 18 hour flight to Singapore, I get to have a couple of hour layover and then hop on a 8 hour flight to Sydney. Just smilin' big, folks.
Our computer at home has finally been put to it's eternal rest, so I'm at a computer at the local library with yikes, 9 minutes left. I'll have to type fast.
Indonesia was...yep, not a big fan of Indonesia. I don't like it when people stare at me and I was stared at all day long. I was seriously creeped out. We watched some dragon boat races, walked through the town, I tried to not smell the local smells, and then spent a long time at the ferry boat dock waiting for the boat to take us back to Singapore. At some point, I'll post some pictures.
Yikes... 6 minutes left. I'll make this quick. So nice to be back home! There are just no words. I'm off for a lunch with the DAGS, then dinner tonight with the Eppinger's, and then off with Faith to see Ashley's show tonight. Just can't wait! I love it here. Just love it. As I wrote on my facebook status, Dorothy was right. There's no place...

You Are Not Going to Believe What I Did In Singapore...

2008-11-15T23:01:00.006+11:00

We've been here in Singapore since Wednesday night. Not much time on the computer since I can only get on when Phil comes back to the hotel after work, but I needed to blog about what the trip's been like so far. So what did I do?

Am I talking about looking at the um, unique Christmas decorations that are going up all around town. Nope...but they are unique. Very colorful and apparently the theme this year on the big shopping road- Orchard Road, is candy. Picture street lights with purple and white candy canes on them, red hearts hanging everywhere (with a bit of Hitachi advertising on them), big baby blue ribbons tied on the street lights, wrapped "candy" hanging from trees, giant cupcakes on the side of the street, and just in tonight...huge Precious Moments figures that have appeared around the Fountain of Wealth which we can see from our hotel window. An eclectic collection indeed.

Am I talking about our dinner one night at a Scottish restaurant? Nope...but I will say that it was the first time I ever had an Asian waiter serve me wearing a kilt.

Am I talking about our fun day today in Sentosa? Nope...but it was fun. We took the monorail over to the island of Sentosa and toured an old English military fort that is now a museum, went to the aqarium, toured the exhibit-Images of Singapore, walked up to the top of the Merlion, and had another fun ride on the street luge. For those keeping score (okay...me) I beat Phil on the luge even after a close photo-finish. Not really, but I did feel like I got a bit close to the boards when he tried to squeeze me out at the very end. Wasn't going to happen...I raced ahead and beat him.

I am talking about my experience yesterday afternoon at Kenko, the fish spa. Yes...the fish spa. After meeting Phil and a U.S. co-worker and his wife who now live here for lunch, the co-worker's wife informed me that we were going to have an adventure. Hence...the fish spa. Yes...I was a bit apprehensive. What in the world is a fish spa? In a nutshell, you roll your pants up, sit on a bench, put your feet and legs in what looks like an aqarium and let all of these little fish come up and start biting your feet and legs. Yeah...really. Apparently these fish feed off of any dead skin they can get from you. I know...eeww. I guess my feet and legs were dry because as soon as I put my legs in the water, it looked like I had knee-high boots on that were made of little fish.

How did it feel? Um...very odd at first. I mean these fish were eating my skin! I was getting seriously skeeved out. But if I had to fork over 30 dollars for 30 minutes, my legs were staying in the water. After awhile, it felt like pins and needles. You know if you sit on your foot and then it falls asleep and you get pins and needles while you wait to get the feeling back? That's what it felt like. Did the treatment work? I'm surprised to say...yes. My feet are as smooth as a baby's behind! Who knew? Would I do it again? Not sure, but how many people can say that they've had skin-eating fish nibble on their feet and legs in Singapore? (Wow...that's a really weird sentence to write.)

Tomorrow we head over to Bintan, Indonesia. Never been there so I'm sure I'll post again.

In the Air Again...

2008-11-11T16:34:00.005+11:00

Just can't wait to get in the air again...everyone, sing along. You can thank the Lankfords (more realistically, Phil's company) for single-handedly keeping the airlines afloat in these bad economic times. Phil and I leave tomorrow afternoon for Singapore. Yes...I'm heading back to the country that smells like one giant Chinese restaurant. Not sure what I'm going to do with myself while Phil is working, but if I come across anything interesting...you'll be the first to know.

We may also fly over to Malaysia on Friday night or Saturday. Kuala Lumpur (no idea if that's spelled right) to be exact. And did you know that only the US prounces Lumpur like lum-pour with emphasis on pour? Everyone else says Lumpur like lump-er, emphasis on lump. No, I'm not making this stuff up. We may also throw in a quick trip to Indonesia. I'll keep you posted by well...posting.

After my mini-Southeastern Asian tour, I head for home on Monday. After a straight-through, non-stop, 18 hour plane ride from Singapore to New York. Good times. But it's all good...I'm heading home for the holidays! Phil unfortunately has another week in Singapore, then a week in India (poor guy...he's going to have to eat turkey curry for Thanksgiving...how depressing), a week back here in Sydney and then will join me back in Philly in early December. Then we can celebrate Christmas together in the cold weather...as it's supposed to be when it's December!

Diversity

2008-11-06T15:54:00.005+11:00

And you thought this post was going to be about our new President...nope. But I will say here, was it disappointing that the man I voted for did not win? Yes. Am I a bit nervous about the next four years? You bet. Do I wish Barack Obama would change his worldview when it comes to abortion and same-sex marriage? Absolutely. Would I rather choose to spread my wealth when and to whom I wish, rather than big government choosing for me? Oh yeah. But...all that does not change the fact that nothing happened on November 4th that wasn't supposed to happen. Why? Not sure, but I'm a firm believer that nothing surprises God. All I do know is that whoever is President, deserves my respect (at least for the office itself), my ability to keep my mouth shut when I want to say negative things about him, and most of all, my prayers. (Hmm...and surely our current President deserves all of these as well instead of what he and his family have had to endure for the longest time!) But I was talking about diversity...
I meant diversity on the streets of Sydney. It hit me as I was walking to Subway for lunch today. Because I. Just. Can't. Eat. McDonald's. Anymore. This. Week. I love my cheeseburger but I must take a break. You see it all on the streets of Sydney, such as...

1. People wearing pointy bamboo hats. You know...like the ones you see in a picture of people from Vietnam. But what's puzzling, is they're not of Asian descent. So why...

2. School children wearing big floppy hats with wide brims. I was struck with how many children you see wearing hats down here. Because the only time you see kids, especially babies and toddlers wearing hats in the U.S. is when their parent wants to take a picture of them in a cute hat and has to take the picture real fast before the kid reaches up to pull it off. Found out in my research (only for you, my faithful readers...no stone unturned) that several years ago there was a major health campaign around Australia that insisted that parents put hats on their children when they went outside. In fact, it's almost considered a form of child abuse if you don't. Most schools won't let children outside for recess unless they wear their big, floppy hats. Why? Australia has the world's most cases of skin cancer...three times more than the U.S. Makes sense.

3. Tee shirts with writing on them. Most I could not re-print here for my family-friendly blog, but did pass one today on a guy that said, "You Look Like My Next Girlfriend." Uh...no.

4. Flip-flops. Everyone wears them. You'll see business women in conservative tailored jackets and skirts, shuffling along in flip flops on their way to work. (I assume they change shoes when they get to their office.)

5. And on the other end of the spectrum...high-heeled shoes like you wouldn't believe. It's also not unusual to see women shuffling along in 4 inch heels. Come on...how is that remotely comfortable? (says the American who is mostly seen in her faithful Nike's.)

6. Ridiculously skinny jeans. Can I just say that no one, even if you have the body of a supermodel- male or female, looks attractive in those really tight skinny jeans. And men...you just look like you have skinny chicken legs when you wear them. Eewww.

7. Uggs. There's a reason why these boots sound like you're saying the word, ugly. And who wears furry boots when you have shorts on? Shorts with furry boots? That doesn't make any sense.

8. Man Bags. Um...what? Women carry purses. Men...you just carry a wallet. If you have more to carry than that, sure...carry a briefcase. Sling a backpack on your shoulder...fine. But carry a man bag? You just look silly. And finally...

9. Leggings as Pants. If you want to wear leggings...go ahead. But put something on that covers your backside. A skirt. A long shirt. Whatever. And the same goes for all those men that jog in the Botanical Gardens while wearing spandex. (Except for the skirt part.) Really don't want to see any of that.

It Snowed!!

2008-10-30T21:14:00.013+11:00

In Hanmer Springs that is. And only stuck to the top of the mountains. (Side note...It's the end of October. It should be cold. This 70's and 80's weather in Sydney at the end of October is nuts. I shouldn't be seeing Christmas decorations in stores while wearing tee shirts and shorts. And I shouldn't see this sign either- "Beat The Heat This Christmas at Baskin Robbins." But I digress.) We woke up Sunday morning to the pictures below. We got breakfast at our breakfast place, Robbie's Pub, walked around some and then got in the car to drive back down to Christchurch. But first...some pictures.

Once we got to Christchurch, we decided to walk around the city. Yes...it is one of the biggest cities in New Zealand, and yes, there are some tallish buildings (our hotel room was on the 11th floor ) but at times you'd be walking in "center city", turn the corner and then were faced with a city block of 1 and 2 story buildings that looked like Main Street USA. Very strange. Our hotel was next door to Christchurch Cathedral.

We continued walking through the city over to the Botanical Gardens...

passed the tram that takes you on a circuit around the city...

and then came upon the holy grail. Literally...the Holy Grail Sports Bar just down the street from our hotel. The sky should've opened up with a beam of light on the sign as angels in one chorus broke out in a harmonious "aaahhhhhhh". Wings and cokes...20 something dollars. Being able to watch the Phillies play and win Game 3 of the World Series on a 50 foot tv screen while in New Zealand...priceless!

As I type this, I'm watching the replay of today's game where our Phillies won the World Series. We watched it live this morning/afternoon as well and I think Phil speaks for us all when he turned to me after the win, while watching the pile-up on the mound and said, "I think I'm gonna cry." Sweet day! Now if we could only be there in Philly for the parade down Broad St. this week...

Hanmer Springs...New Zealand's Alpine Spa Village

2008-10-29T07:20:00.018+11:00

Or so the advertising slogan goes. On Saturday morning (being the outdoor enthusiasts that we are so known for) we decided to do some outdoor stuff since we were up in the mountains and all. And there was so much to choose from...mountain biking, hikes (or tramps as they call them here), fishing, hunting, bungy jumping (uh...no), jetboat trips, river rafting, quad biking, skeet shooting, 4x4 tours, paintball, mini golf, horseback riding, helicopter tours, archery, and even sitting in the thermal pools at the main attraction- Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa.

First...we chose archery. No, really we did. And it was fun. The competition was fierce. After a stinging injury on my left inside elbow (got in the way of my blazing arrow and stung like the dickens!), I couldn't keep up. Actually...I was never in the running. I don't think I could hit a target if it was painted on the side of a barn. Got a few in, but was no match for Phil aka Robin Hood. Look at the equisite form.

And if you can see it...the end result. I hit the paper a few times but nothing to write home about.

Late morning we left for our next adventure...horseback riding. Seriously! I've never ridden a horse before and it was always something I wanted to try. The drive out to the farm was again, beautiful. So was the farm itself. Take a look.

Now the horse lady knew that in our group, I was the only one who had never gotten on a horse before. And which horse did I get? Raleigh...who according to her is, "The biggest horse in all of New Zealand." Uh...thanks. One seems very far off of the ground when seated on a huge horse while holding tightly to the reins. But Raleigh and I hit it off...when he wouldn't jerk his big ol' head forward nearly lifting me off of the saddle. Now I thought we would just be plodding along little trails around the farm. And we did...but soon set off up a small mountain. With no guard rails. On a horse. Yeah, I was a bit freaked out. Remember the scene from The Brady Bunch when they were at the Grand Canyon and taking a mule ride down into the canyon and Alice is furiously waving her hand over to get the mule to hug the canyon wall? Yep...I know the feeling. But the views...

See? Raleigh is the biggest horse there!

Oh...I've got to add a picture of the farm's pets on the front porch. They would nudge you like a dog to be petted. And no...I wasn't thinking of dinner. That's just sick.

Later that day we drove to "Thrill Seeker's Canyon". Not necessarily looking for a thrill, but that's where a lot of the outdoor activities are based from. Including bungy jumping from this bridge. Seriously crazy!

We drove back to the village past some more beautiful countryside...

and then put on our bathing suits (or swimmers or cosi's) as they call 'em in Australia and relaxed in the thermal springs for awhile. Ahh...a great end to a very fun day. Tomorrow...Christchurch.

We're Back from New Zealand

2008-10-28T10:59:00.011+11:00

Whew...now that the Phillies game is on a rain delay (maybe stoppage? stupid Australian tv is now showing motocross so I don't know what's happening) I can post about our weekend in New Zealand. First, let me say that it is one of the most beautiful places that I've ever been to. For all you Lord of the Rings fans, I didn't see any spots where they filmed, but hopefully you'll still like the pictures below.

We flew into Christchurch last Friday afternoon. Close to the airport is the International Antarctic Centre so we started there. Did you know that 70% of the people/scientists that fly to Antarctica go out of Christchurch? Nope, I didn't either. It's called international because New Zealand, the US, and Italy all have offices and programs here. The US Air Force also flys planes to Antarctica from here.

We started out (after I begged for a quick stop at the cafe because it was past lunch time) at the penguin exhibit where they were feeding these tiny little penguins. The Little Blue Penguins to be exact. Apparently they swim near the shores of South Australia and New Zealand. After that we went to the Antarctic Storm where they simulate a storm every half hour. Yep...it was pretty darn cold. (Notice my hands tucked into my borrowed coat.) And this was even before the storm started and the wind started blowing.

After going through the museum, you could get in line to ride the Hagglund, a vehicle used down in Antarctica. The obstacle course that it took us through was a bit jarring to say the least! But very fun.

We got on the road and headed north to Hanmer Springs where we stayed for most of the weekend. The trip up was just beautiful. On either side of the road were just hundreds of rolling green hills that kept getting steeper as we got closer to the mountains. And the sheep...we must've seen thousands of sheep grazing the hills over the entire weekend. Mmm, and tasty, too. How could I not have lamb for dinner when in New Zealand? Although I would pay for that because after Friday night for the rest of the weekend whenever we drove by any sheep Phil would say."Here she comes, boys...run for your lives!" Such the comedian. Here's our hotel that we stayed at...the Settler's Inn. And it even came with a golden retriever named Rosie.

Some pics of Hanmer Springs...

Tomorrow...our Saturday in Hanmer Springs.

It Is What It Is...

2008-10-21T15:23:00.004+11:00

I got nothin'. (That's the phrase but the former teacher in me still cringes at the grammar.) Not a whole lot going on at the moment. Still going in a couple of days a week to the church to volunteer in the office. Still liking it. Even got taken out last week for Thai food. (My first time eating Thai!) Okay...I only ordered chicken and fried rice but I did try bites of my fellow diner's meals. Pleasantly surprised, in fact, but the jury is still out. I don't like to try new foods.

The week is passing a bit slow, due to the fact that Phil is away right now in Singapore. Bummer. I don't even have him here to ply with questions as soon as he steps in the front door. "How was your day? What did you have for lunch? Do you know what I had for lunch? What are we going to do for dinner? Do you want to go out? I wonder what's on tv tonight? Guess where I walked today?" etc. etc. I'm sure he's glad for the reprieve. (while also missing me, the joy of his life.)

I really just wanted to put up another post to check and see if people can now post comments. For some reason, the last two posts wouldn't let people do that. Due to the overwhelming demands of my reading public (okay...two people asked what was up) I, the tech wiz that I am, was determined to fix the wrong and let you be heard. I think I found out the problem, although I'm not really sure and just hope that the comment thingie (official tech wiz language) appears at the end of this post. Good news, however. The blog will once again get interesting after this weekend because Phil and I are leaving the country!

Not to head back to the states just yet, but we're spending a long weekend in New Zealand. We're heading to Christchurch on Friday morning and then driving to a little town in the mountains called Hanmer Springs. For those of you who are uninformed (which was me until just a bit ago), New Zealand is made up of two islands and we're headed to the South Island. People here have said to me that it is the better one to go to because it's just so beautiful. They remark that the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed there.

Well...that doesn't do anything for me, because I think I've only seen one of them. I say I think because I don't remember a whole lot about it. Something about a ring, a guy named Frodo, and some guy with a long white beard? I don't know. It was just kind of dark and had lots of suspense in it...which I don't do when it comes to movies. But, at any rate, if I come across any signs that say, "LOR filmed here" I'll take a picture for all you fans. So...on that note, hopefully my next posts will contain stunning pictures and witty prose about our trip to New Zealand.

And on a totally different note...I just found out at the library this afternoon (while reading the New York Times...yes, I have time on my hands at the moment) that Grant Balfour, a pitcher for the Tampa Bay baseball team is from Sidney. An Australian who plays American baseball?? Interesting, yes, but in no way pulls my allegiance from our beloved Philadelphia Phillies who play in the World Series(!!!!!) this week. Darn it...Murphy's Law states that one will be thousands of miles away on the other side of the world when your team finally makes the World Series. Hopefully we can still watch it in New Zealand this weekend to say...GO PHILLIES!!!

This is What I'm Looking At

2008-10-17T14:49:00.000+11:00

Thought I'd give you a peek at what I see when I take a walk around Sydney...depending on which route I take. Yes...I've walked so much here, I actually have several routes that I can choose from when stepping out. Wednesday afternoon, I chose my "Dawes Point" destination. I walk from our building through Circular Quay (where the ferry boat terminal is), passed the aboriginal who sits there every day making music on his digideroo (couldn't get the picture because he was on his smoke break), next to The Rocks, under the Harbour Bridge, around the peninsula (Dawes Point) and back. On my way, I get a pretty good view while walking under the Harbour Bridge.

On the other side of the Harbour, you can see an amusement park called Luna Park. At night when it's all lit up, the face at the entrance is lit up in a freakish way. I see these big eyes and mouth (which is what you walk through to get into the park) staring at me all the way from our balcony. Here's a closer look...

Coming from around the point on my way back, there's a great view of our next door neighbor, the Opera House.

Moving my head just to the right, you get a good look at Circular Quay. Of course, our apartment, the beloved Toaster is the first building you see on the left of the picture.

Today, after meeting Phil for lunch at Australian Square, a food court in a building close to his, I decided to take my "Into the City" route. Right at Australian Square was a group of army vehicles parked in an alley (not sure why they were there) but thought of my nephew, Sammy who's 5, loves anything to do with the military, and wants to fly jets off of a carrier in the Navy when he grows up. So, Sammy...this is for you.

And what do you know, as I was walking up George St., in this little alley was this space thing hanging between two buildings. I thought of Sammy's big brother, Jake who's 7, loves anything to do with space, and wants to be an astronaut when he grows up. So, Jake...this one's for you.

I kept walking up George St. until I came to the Queen Victoria Building or QVB as it's sometimes referred to. This building (which spans an entire city block!) was opened in 1892 (whipping out my trusty guidebook once again) as a produce market. Some older people we've gotten to know at our church here, say they can remember going there as kids when it was a farmer's market on the first floor and offices on the second floor where their parents paid their electric bills. Today it's the home to nearly 200 upscale stores. They also said that at Christmas there's a huge Christmas tree in the middle under the main dome that goes from floor to ceiling. I'm hoping that goes up before we leave to go back to Philly for Christmas.

See the statue in front of the building? The same people told us that the story goes that when the building was completed, they wanted to put a statue of Queen Victoria out in front of it, but there wasn't one in the whole country. So later, they found a statue of her from some city in India who wanted to get rid of theirs after India gained independence from Great Britain, bought it from the Indian city and finally put it out in front of the QVB. Better late than never, I guess.

So I'm Looking Like a Raccoon...

2008-10-13T21:19:00.000+11:00

Just love getting a sunburn on my face while wearing my sunglasses. But it's the middle of October...I'm not used to having to remember the sunscreen. I'm all mixed up... it's getting warmer, the days are getting longer, we're passing by huge blow-up Santa lawn ornaments being advertised at a nursery when it's around 80 degrees out...just crazy. And just where did I get this sunburn? After church on Sunday we hopped into the Jeep (top down-hence the sunburn) and drove about an hour and a half north to St. Alban's. This was where Phil drove before I came back here last month.

First, in Wiseman's Ferry, we had to take the ferry over to the other side of the river.

We ate lunch at the Settler's Arms Inn.

The website for the Inn, http://www.settlersarms.com.au/ states that the Inn was built in 1836 and is surrounded by mountains. True. It also states that the Inn is "nestled along the Macdonald River". True, again. The website did not say we were in the middle of absolutely nowhere, but that was true too.

Just passed (past? I'm not sure. They both look right) this tree on the right and down a bit is the bank of the Macdonald River. Imagine the surprise when a helicopter comes and lands in the middle of the river. Yeah, really. About 300 feet in front of where I was sitting. Now the river wasn't too full of water and the helicopter did land on a sand bar, but still. Not sure a helicopter could just land in a river next to a restaurant in the states so the people could have a bite to eat.

On the way home coming through Wiseman's Ferry, lo and behold we passed the property for what used to be the Word of Life Christian Camp and Bible Institute of Australia. Felt the urge to break into a rousing rendition of "Holding forth the Word of Life..." Amazing (and a bit frightening) that after all these years the song never leaves the recesses of the mind of a former Island STC'er and wolbi alum. The property no longer belongs to Word of Life (as the sign in Korean? Chinese?) showed us (as well a check on the internet once we got back), but the old faded WOL sign was still there. Quite the beautiful piece of property.

All in all a nice day spent outdoors. Except for the raccoon eyes, of course.

Deep In Thought at McDonald's

2008-10-10T14:21:00.000+11:00

I take my job as a professional tourist down here very seriously, and it struck me today at lunch as I enjoyed my tasty cheeseburger, that people have strange habits here at Macker's (as it is referred to at times...I know...what?). Is it me, or do most people in the states take their sandwich out of the "to go" bag (or take away as it is called here), open the wrapper, spread the wrapper down like a place mat, put your drink in one corner, and your fries and ketchup (or chips and tomato sauce) in the other corner? Okay...maybe it is just me. Or maybe most people don't order the cheeseburger.

But down here, I've seen people time and time again (yes, I eat at McDonald's way too much) take the "to go" bag, rip one whole side of it open and then eat the food as it lays from inside the bag. It looks like they're dining from a feed bag.

And what's with the opening of the burger (cheeseburger, quarter pounder, big mac, whatever) and piling on a fist full of fries before they bite into it? On the burger? How does that taste good?

Speaking of taste...the menu now sports that you can add avocado to your quarter pounder. Eeww. And if you want to, you can add tomato and avocado to your Egg McMuffin breakfast (or brekkie) sandwich. Double eeww. Yes...deep thoughts down here. But again...I take my job very seriously and wish to report all aspects of Australian culture as I experience them.

Yes...my "experiences" haven't been much to report lately. I've been volunteering at the church in the office a couple of days a week, so the weeks have flown by. I'm liking it. (Although I still have a bit of a problem trying to figure out what people are saying over the phone with their accents. I think I drove some guy nuts yesterday trying to figure out if he was saying his name was Matthew or Michael. I'm still not sure.)

I am happy to report that I now feel pretty comfortable driving around Sydney. Who would've thought? I still cringe when I cross the Harbour Bridge, praying that I haven't just breathed my last, but the music has returned. (I tend to sing while I drive.) Still not crazy about changing lanes because I can't see behind the darn head rests in the back seat, so I try and look, send up a prayer, hope nothing's there, and then get over into the next lane. I've pretty much memorized the route and what lanes to get in so I don't have to do much changing.

We are trying to arrange a trip to New Zealand next weekend, so hopefully that happens. Will keep you posted...

The (Sea) Eagles Win the Championship!!

2008-10-06T10:46:00.000+11:00

No, not our beloved Philadelphia Eagles...the Manly Sea Eagles in the Grand Final of the National Rugby League. Our good friend from church, Steve, offered to get Phil a ticket to the big game (kind of like our Superbowl) yesterday afternoon. Well, of course, I had to get Phil a rugby jersey with the official Manly Sea Eagles emblem, for his birthday last week so he could wear it to the game at the ANZ Stadium (where the opening and closing ceremonies were for the 2000 Olympics.) The pre-game ceremonies included a navy helicopter landing on the field.

A pre-game show.

Some rugby action. And let me just say...those guys are nuts. It's like full-tackle football without any pads. Crazy! And they beat Melbourne 40-0.

And finally, the beginning of the awards ceremony where you can see Australia's Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, third from the right in the line of people congratulating the winning players.

A Night Away in Canberra

2008-10-04T21:25:00.000+10:00

Last night we drove 3 hours south to Canberra, the capital of Australia. No, really...it is. It's not Sydney. Nor Melbourne, but Canberra. Pronounced Can-burr-ah with the emphasis on Can. First...a word about the highway between Sydney and Canberra. That is one dark ride. Once you leave the Sydney area, there are no lights on the highway. The countryside (and I do mean, countryside) is dark. You don't see any lights. No lighted billboards. Not even any houses. Does civilization just end once you leave the city?

We found London Circuit which is the circle that our hotel was on. And in the words of Phil, when we got into the room, "Man what a dump." It wasn't really, but did not exactly look like the pictures on the internet. And "lakeside view" did not apply, though we paid $10 extra for it. The next morning, if you looked really far between the row of trees, you could see glimpses of Lake Burly Griffin. (Nope...no idea where that name came from. But it did make me laugh several times.) Hmm...lakeview, indeed.

We passed up the breakfast buffet at the hotel ($26...yeah right) and stopped at a food court at the Canberra Centre on our way to our first stop. The Australian War Memorial.

You walked up the front stairs through a walkway and then came to this.

You can't see it well, but there's an eternal flame at the top of the water pool there. And on the upper level behind all those open windows on each side are two huge walls, called The Roll of Honour, with the names of every Australian who, I think, has died while serving in the military. You see little red poppy flowers pressed into the cracks between sheets of names.

The War Memorial Musuem has sections on WWI, WWII, an aircraft hall, Australia's Unknown Soldier, Anzac hall, and among other exhibits, also a section on Conflicts from 1945 till today. That's where this helicopter was...in the Vietnam section.

Thoroughly enjoyed the whole museum. Could've spent more hours there, but I think my other half had seen all he wanted to see. So alas...I did not get to read every plaque, picture, and display there. But still...was good.On the steps of the War Memorial you can see the old Parliament House (the white building in front) and the new Parliament building (the modern building in the back that looks like it has a big compass on the top of it). Cool view.

We then went to the old parliament building and went on a tour of the building. After that, we drove over to the new parliament building and looked around as well. Saw both the Senate and House of Representative chambers.

We drove back to Sydney tonight. Saw a full rainbow...both ends! Both of us had never seen a full arc before. Also drove through seriously torrential rain and if that wasn't enough, then thru soupy fog. Quite the ride! I white-knuckled through it a few times.

Well, with the time change that happens here tonight, it's now almost midnight. So on that note...
(Note to any callers from the states, we are now 15 hours ahead. Karen, thinking about the call at 5:00 am one morning...especially, take note.) :)

We're Gonna Watch the Eagles!!

2008-09-28T19:23:00.000+10:00

Just found out that the Eagles/Bears game which is on Sunday night at home will be shown here, Monday night at 7:30 pm. Whoo hoo...we're gonna watch some football! So no checking the scores over the internet tomorrow. Everybody now..."Fly Eagles fly, on the road to victory..."

And while we're on the subject of sports, how about those Phillies?!! I can feel it...it's going to be their year. And we're all the way over here on the other side of the world. Sigh. Good news...we will be able to watch every playoff game as well as the World Series live. Bad news...because of the time difference they will be shown anywhere from 5:00 am to 7:00 am. But if the Phillies are playing...I just may have to set the alarm a bit early.

Saturday O' Fun

2008-09-28T14:33:00.000+10:00

Let me start by saying it was a busy week. I've started to volunteer several days a week in the office at our church here. On Thursday even drove home by way of Victoria Rd. Which means instead of driving home by way of the Harbour Bridge, I drove home by way of the Anzac Bridge. On the other side of Sydney. Meaning...I drove through the streets of Sydney from one to the other all by myself in Beast. I'm in the middle of the city at an intersection surrounded by skyscrapers thinking, "What in the world am I doing here behind the wheel?" Very surreal. But I made it home with no problems (if you don't count the slight balding of the sides of the tires that have continually scraped the sides of the concrete pillars in the parking garage as I make the what I would call hair-pin curves as I circle down and back up from 2 stories below ground.) Anyways, we woke up Saturday morning with the idea to enjoy the sunny, warm day. (Which is still weird when you are at the end of September and it's getting warmer.) We walked over to The Rocks and found a food market set up. Bought some bagels (finally found some in Australia!) and fresh flowers.

And look...we were serenaded by two members of the Oom-Pah-Pah band from the German restaurant, Lowenbrau around the corner (the ones in the loud red pants and the guy in the yellow shirt, who was playing a clarinet). We walked past this little French bakery that we've been told by friends from church has the most excellent pastries that you've ever had. Usually when we've walked by, it hasn't been opened (what is with the French?) but it was today and we went in, ordered a fruit tart for me and some airy puff pastry for Phil. Yummy!

We then walked over to the regular market at The Rocks. Bought a birthday present for Phil (who celebrates this Wed!) and a Christmas ornament. Over the years I've gotten in the habit of buying an ornament from every place we've ever traveled to for our Christmas tree. Lots of fun to remember where we've been, as I decorate the tree. (And yes...it's usually just me decorating the tree. Phil's job usually ends after wrestling the tree parts up the stairs from the basement and setting it up. I'm not OCD about where the ornaments go, he just doesn't like to do it.)

We then took the Manly Ferry over to well, Manly to walk next to the beach. After a quick lunch of Subway (love that meatball sub) we made our way to the beach. And man, was it ever crowded! I guess because it's school holidays here (they go year round here starting in Jan. then have 2 weeks off in March, July, and Sept. and then finish up before Christmas), and it was a nice, warm day, everyone decided to spend the day at the beach. Take a look.

And, a quick pic of the lifeguards at the beach. They always wear these red and yellow uniforms.

Later this week, I'll take you on a tour of India. Phil was there for a week before we met back up in Sydney. My favorite kind of tour...commenting on pictures that I didn't take and was not there when they were taken. Should be fun...

Yeah...We Didn't Get Out of the City This Morning

2008-09-21T13:48:00.000+10:00

Well, we both made it back to Sydney safe and sound yesterday morning. Phil in from India and me in 2 hours later, from the states. And I woke up at my usual 4:00 am this morning to confirm my changing of a bazillion time zones. My week of weird sleeping hours has once again begun. I would've been up, nice and early ready to leave for church, but as stated above...we didn't get out of the city this morning. Literally.

Today was the day for the annual Sydney Running Festival. 25,300 runners descended on the city for their choice of races- the marathon, the 1/2 marathon, 9km Bridge run, or 4 km Family Fun Run. 25,300 runners...seriously. Take a look.

Obviously the roads around our apartment were closed as well as the Harbour Bridge so we were city-bound for the morning. I'm happy to report that in the spirit of the day Phil and I did run...across the street to avoid the bus coming around the corner on our way to McDonald's for Egg McMuffins for breakfast. You can check out http://www.runthebridge.com.au/ for info on the day, see how much was raised for charity, and even see our apartment building next to the Opera House in the first picture on the web page.

On a different note...you know you're back in Australia when you pay this much for a can of hairspray.

Yes. That's right. The price was $7.95. I was forced to buy this last night at the drugstore (or chemist as they call them here) because I had taken my last can back with me to the states and forgot to buy some and bring them back with me. I literally felt pain to hand over almost $8 stinkin' dollars for a lousy can of hairspray. And it's not even a big can. You could almost call it travel size! So this afternoon (after the roads opened up and we could drive out of the city) we went to the mall to buy some groceries and get something to eat. I went to Big W (their version of Walmart) thinking I could buy my usual can of Suave at a much more reasonable price. Right.

First of all...no Suave on the shelf. I ended up with Schwarzkopf Hair Styling Hairspray. Yeah...what? In my mind I pictured the general from the Persian Gulf War dabbling in hair care products. But...the sticker of Heidi Klum on the can recommending this brand convinced me. I mean, really...if it's good enough for Heidi, it's good enough for me. And well it should be, at $6.96 a can. Pain, literal pain to pay that much...

Heading Back...Really, I Am This Time

2008-09-16T03:04:00.000+10:00

That's right. On Thursday I step on the plane (then get off in Toronto, wait a couple of hours, and then step on another one and then step off in Vancouver, wait a couple of hours, and then step on another one and finally step off in Sydney. Thirty or so hours later. Sigh) to head back to Australia. With mixed feelings.
One the one hand...I've really gotten used to being back in the states these last six weeks. (Sheesh, has it really been six weeks?) I zip around town driving without the sweaty palms. Calm, cool, relaxed. And yes, singing loudly. Hanging out with great friends....talking, laughing, watching movies, catching up. Being with Sox. Seeing family...and just when did my oldest nephew grow taller than I am?? Sitting in church thinking I just love this place. And yes, eating Chick-Fil-A. (I need to admit though, with head bowed, I'm officially sick of their chicken sandwich.)
On the other hand...I really miss Phil. This living on two sides of the world is getting really old. What fun is living at home when my "home" is in actuality getting himself ready for bed in a hotel in India at the moment.
So...yes, it sort of stinks to be leaving here, but I'm looking forward to being back together with Phil. And seeing all of our friends in Australia. And getting back to daily walks around Sydney. And eating not-baked-but-fried apple pies at McDonald's. (bad but oh, so good.) And trips to Max Brenner's for some seriously good hot tea. And planning all of our travel adventures for the next couple of months...who knows...a trip to the capitol-Canberra (see, there's this really cool war museum there), Melbourne, the Outback (but isn't Ayer's Rock just a big ol' rock?), New Zealand, Vanuatu, and maybe even a trip back to the Barrier Reef...

Bloke's Day in Australia

2008-09-08T18:34:00.000+10:00

"Bloke"- the Australian equivalant of "dude" or "tough guy". It's like the wild west out here this weekend with the womanfolk back in the US. That's right- this is my truck. And yeah- that's mud that it's covered in (this after a few hours of rain cleaning it off for me).

This weekend, I decided to be a bit manly and take the truck out to the outback. Ok, it was really semi rural suburban Sydney, but for US standards, this was the outback...

The destination, the Settler's Arms Pub in St Albans, New South Wales. A town and pub older than Australia itself. The method- staying on dirt roads (and possibly illegally leaving those dirt roads from time to time...) as much as possible.

I made it out there in about two hours time. After going a bit north of St Albans to get a little more dirt trail riding in, I came back and grabbed some lunch at the Settler's Arms. This was a seriously cool old pub. It was basically the only building in the town of St Albans but for a few old houses. I was picturing St Alban's to be a small town with some shops and restaurants and a downtown area. Here it is:

That's right- it's really just a pub and a few houses. And a fire station that's roughly the size of my tool shed.

Here's the entrance and exit to the town to give you some sense of the majesty of this place:

And here's the obstacles to be encountered along the way (by the way, 10 bucks to the first person who can tell me what's wrong with this sign!!):

Now that my rugged weekend is over, the truth of the matter is, I'm really sick and there's nobody here to care.... So much for the bloke, he turned bleak!!

Tomorrow in honor of the Eagles (and BTW- I can't get anyone here to respond to "E","A","G","L","E","S"....) big 1st game win, we learn about the Australian concept of a punt...

What do you do when the road ends and the water starts- apparently you punt!

Uh... I'm Still in the States

2008-09-03T09:54:00.000+10:00

That's right. I'm still here in the States. I know...what? Here's the short version of how this went down on Saturday morning. (Only because Phil has repeatedly said in the past that I'm very good at making a short story, long.)
Once we both got to Sydney, we would've had about a week and half together before Phil had to leave for a week in India. (And no, I have no desire to go there...have you smelled Indian food lately?) Nor did I really have the desire to stay in Australia by myself while Phil was away. Phil needed to make a trip to Manila and good ol' Singapore at some point as well, so he suggested that I just stay here while he combines all three of these places into one trip. (I know...this is a long story. See? I'm good at it.)
So...all that to say that I don't leave to go back to Sydney until the 18th of September. More time with friends. More time with Sox. Maybe another trip to Ohio to see the fam. And yes, more time to enjoy Chick-Fil-A. (I should really get a comp sandwich or two for all of this free advertising they get on my blog.)
I've already crossed off one thing on my "List of Things to Do While I'm Still in the States" list. I painted the downstairs bathroom. Chocolate brown. I like it! (Although the thought did cross my mind that perhaps chocolate brown shouldn't be the color of choice in a bathroom...I'm sure Rob will have one or two oh-so-witty things to say about it.) I've done much of the taping for the master bathroom as well and will probably paint that later this week. It's going to be a silvery blue color. And I may even finally get to finish stripping the paint off of my grandma's hoosier cabinet (I think that's what it's called) and refinishing that as well.
I know Phil is thinking, "Yeah, right!" at that one...that's the project that I said I would do when he left for a month on a business trip to Luxembourg... two months after we got married...eleven years ago. You never know...this could be the year.

Heading Back...What??!

2008-08-30T01:28:00.000+10:00

I can't believe it's time to head back to Australia again. Yeah...I know I've been in the states for almost a month now. But I'm starting to get really settled back here. Hopping in the car, driving who know's where just to drive around, going to stores just to look...okay, buy some books, too, having lunches and dinners with my best friends, hearing sweet Grace call us her "Aunt San-sung and Uncle Phil, too", playing putt-putt (yes I'm originally a Midwest girl and that's what we call miniature golf.), being with Sox, Chick-Fil-A, Rita's Water Ice, the list goes on. Sigh. And nothing says "Welcome Back to Australia" like going through almost 30 hours of plane rides and lay-overs to get there. Oh, happy Sunday. Just can't wait...
I usually don't post much when I'm back home mostly because I'm having too much fun being with old friends to sit at the computer, but also because there's something in me that says I can't post here if my blog title says "The Lankfords Down Under". How can I post if I'm not down under? I know and I agree...that's kind of weird. But, that's me. And speaking of me...here's a meme about me. (That's a lot of "me" in a few sentences.)
My friend, Wendy, ages ago did one on her blog about her Phil and then tagged me next. Well...knowing my Phil, he would not want stuff about him on my blog so...for a compromise I lifted one from some other blog I read. (And here's where I admit how addicted I am to reading people's blogs. Even people I don't know. Why do I feel compelled to check these blogs on a daily basis to see if they've been updated? Or to read their views/comments on who knows what? Does that mean I'm a bit of a stalker? But at times, I begin to feel like I really know them. I admit...I'm a bit creeped out right now.) Anyways...here we go.
Do you like blue cheese? Eww...gross
Have you ever smoked heroin? No!
Do you own a gun? Yes, two.
What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Never been to a Sonic
Do you get nervous before doctor's appointments? Depends on the doctor
What do you think of hot dogs? Yumm...especially dollar dog night at Citizen's Bank Park
Favorite Christmas movie? Tie between It's a Wonderful Life and Holiday Inn
What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Preference? Diet Coke. But will drink OJ if I have it
Can you do push ups? You mean more than one at a time?
What's your favorite piece of jewelry? I feel compelled to say my wedding rings but I also really
like this cool necklace I bought at the open market in the Rocks down in Australia
Favorite hobby? Reading
Do you have ADD? No
What's one trait you dislike about yourself? I'm shy
Middle Name? Lynn (because I was born in the seventies and if it wasn't Ann, then it was Lynn)
Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. Do I really want people to know all this about me?
Who came up with the word meme? Did the Phillies win last night? (Wait...maybe I do
have ADD.)
Name 3 things you bought yesterday. Dramamine, deoderant and bathroom cleaner
Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Diet Coke, OJ, and water
What did you sleep with as a child? Stuffed Snoopy...and yes, I still have it but it's now in my
cedar chest
Current hate right now? I have to get on a plane on Sunday
Favorite place to be? Home
How did you ring in the New Year? With friends playing games and watching the ball drop
Do you own slippers? Yes
What shirt are you wearing right now? Black tee shirt
Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Never have
Can you whistle? Yes, but it's a bit raspy sounding.
Favorite color? Blue
Would you like to be a pirate? No, I really don't like to travel. (Did I mention that I'm getting
on a plane on Sunday?)
What songs do you sing in the shower? Nothing since the theme song to Scooby Doo as a kid
What's in your pocket right now? Probably some lint
Last concert you went to? Jeremy Camp in NJ and then Jeremy Camp a few months before in
Times Square. Does this really make me a stalker?
Last thing that made you laugh? Most phrases that Rob said last night at the Eppinger house
Best bed sheets as a child? Charlie Brown, naturally
Worst injury you've ever had? Tie between the concussion, twice fractured skull, and 2 broken
collarbones...wee bit clumsy as a kid...okay, still am
How many tvs do you have in your house? Australia-one Philly-four
Who is your loudest friend? Joan, hands down!
How many dogs do you have? One
Ever belong to a secret society? Do the DAGS count?
What is your favorite candybar? Snickers
What is your favorite book? Cannot possibly name just one
What were you doing at 12:00 am last night? Sleeping
Favorite sports team? Philadelphia Phillies
What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? Did I really just have a dream about hiding from the Nazis with Bob Crane of Hogan's Heroes fame? (must be all the episodes I've watched down in Australia.)
I tag whoever would like to do it in their blog. Wendy? Claire? And now...I'm off to enjoy another lunch (yes, at Chick-Fil-A) with another dear friend, Kristi and her boys, Josh and Ethan. (Look Kristi...your name is in the blog! See? I told you I would get it in there!)

Remembering Grandpop...

2008-08-24T04:21:00.000+10:00

Yesterday we said a final goodbye at the funeral for Phil's grandpop who passed away last Sunday morning. Just some thoughts to remember him...

I was his grand-daughter-in-law, but never once did he make me feel like that. When I married Phil I automatically joined Sandy, Chris, Dianne, Debbie, Beth, Rachel, and Corinne and became just as much his grandaughter as if he'd known me since I was born.

He loved God with all of his heart. His faith was such a major part of who he was as a person. When he entered heaven on Sunday morning, I know he didn't need to re-introduce himself to Christ. He had been in constant communication with Him through prayer and reading his Bible, probably on a daily basis, ever since he became a believer as a young man.

He had an amazing gift to take a piece of wood and make something beautiful from it. Whether it was an animal carving, a flower with delicate petals and leaves, or a painted birdhouse, Grandpop could do it. Right up until the end. I'm looking at the last birdhouse he painted for us that now sits on one of my bookshelves. Finished sometime since we last saw him on our trip home in June. I'm okay until I turn it upside down to see his shaky, cursive handwriting that said, " Sandra, June 2008, with much love, Grandpop."

He loved playing his instruments. I've never known another man in his 80's that could play the drums like Grandpop! And the saxaphone. And the bongos. And the keyboard. And the xylaphone (which he actually made). The only instrument I know he didn't like was the bagpipes. If he ever heard them, anyone listening would get an earful about how the bagpipes weren't truly worthy of being called an actual instrument. :) To this day, whenever I hear bagpipes I smile and think of Grandpop.

I miss him. His deep, loud voice. (As the hearing went a bit, I'm sure he didn't realize how loud he talked sometimes.) His quick laughter. His always asking how my family was doing in Ohio. 11 years since Phil and I married, and he would still tell me how impressed he was that the pastor I grew up with and his wife would drive all the way out to Philly to do part of our wedding. He would tell me often that he still remembered Pastor Peters when he prayed.

I miss his prayers. I know he prayed for us often. For all of his children. For all of his grandchildren. For all of his great-grandchildren.

"I want to leave a legacy. How will they remember me? Did I choose to love? Did I point to you enough to make a mark on things? I want to leave an offering. A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your name unapologetically and leave that kind of legacy." -Nichole Nordemann

So, Grandpop...you did leave a legacy. As mentioned at your funeral service, every one of your children, grandchildren, and great-children that are of age have professed faith in Jesus Christ. We remember you with so many good memories. You chose to love so much. Your life pointed always to your Heavenly Father. You were a blessing to Him. You were unapologetic in your faith. And you will be truly missed by all of us.

Now That's A Bad Day...

2008-07-28T13:49:00.001+10:00

Came upon this awhile ago on one of my walks around the city. Of course, it's not real, but just a statue? exhibit? right outside of an art gallery. Did make me look twice, though.

For those wondering...yes, I did make it through my foray into Malaysian food on Saturday night in Darling Harbour. I give you my choices to choose from (taken straight from Chinta Ria's menu).

1. Assam Fish: Rockling fillets simmered in a delicious spicy tangy tamarind flavoured sauce with tomatoes, string beans and pineapple pieces

2. Red Temple Chicken: Chicken roulade smothered with a lightly spiced red sauce of chili, lemon grass, coconut, garlic and tomatoes

3. Gado Gado: Steamed beanshoots, shredded cabbage, tofu, and cucumber dressed with our spicey peanut sauce and garnished with egg slice and pappadams

4. Soya Sauce Chicken Rice: Quarter chicken served with steamed rice and bok choy

Can you guess which one was for me? (Keeping in mind that the only fish I eat is usually battered in beer, I don't do chicken smothered in anything, uh, tofu...yeah right, and just what is a pappadam?) That's right...the soya sauce chicken. Wasn't bad, either. (No, I didn't try the bok choy. Just had chicken and rice.) I tried to eat it and my rice with my chopsticks, but soon gave that up to use my fork. Finished the meal with a walk to Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar for dessert (Phil's favorite). And what, you may ask does one order at a chocolate bar if one doesn't like chocolate? My usual...hot tea with a slice of banana bread hold the chocolate dipping sauce. Speaking of food...I give you our new favorite place to eat in The Rocks...

the first place we've eaten at here that has pizza somewhat like American pizza. That's not to say it's anywhere in the league of Peppi's or Brother's, but it's still pretty good. In fact, we're going to eat there tonight before Phil leaves for Singapore tomorrow morning.
Bad news...he's going to be in Singapore for a whole week.
Good news...I changed my flight back to the States (after 6 calls and 4 hours on the phone with Expedia.com. Yeah...that was a good time.) so that I leave to go back this Wednesday! Whoo hoo! Why stay all by myself in the apartment when I can be in the good ole' USA a week early?
Bad news...I'm looking at about 32 hours door to door from Sydney to Philly via Vancouver and Toronto.
Good news...this time I get to fly business class since this is a company paid trip home. Double whoo hoo!

The Weekend Starts This Afternoon

2008-07-25T11:50:00.000+10:00

After my exciting posts (no, really they were) about the pope's visit to Sydney, things have calmed down this week. I was excited to get back to Bible study on Tuesday morning (they've been off because of school holidays) but alas, once I got to the church realized that I hadn't been informed that they weren't starting up again till next week.
Luckily for me, two others were not informed of this either so we all decided to drive down to this cafe for coffee. (And no, I have not changed my opinion that coffee smells much better than it tastes. I had tea.) On the plus side...the cafe was in a huge Christian bookstore (yippee for me). The down side...I saw to my dismay that there were cars on either side of "Beast" in the parking lot when I left the cafe. Great.
Now, I never park next to anyone here. Mainly because I know I would hit something
(and hopefully not someone) if I tried to back up. When I got to the parking lot, and saw my predicament, I began to sweat. Profusely. I went to one side of the car and said, "How am I even supposed to open this door to get in?" Then sheepishly remembered that the steering wheel is on the other side of the car. Yeah, really.
Don't panic, I thought.
I can do this, I thought.
I'm hyperventilating, I thought.
Do we have car insurance here, I thought.
Slow, deep breaths. Even slower movement out of the parking space. I'm sure if anyone was watching from the bookstore, they got a really good show. But all went well, I didn't hit anything (or anyone), and made my way to the mall. Where I proceeded to park 25 feet from the nearest car.
Anyway, this afternoon, Phil and I have tickets to see a Cirque Du Soleil show (Dralion) which he gave me for my birthday last month and then dinner afterwards. Cool! And tomorrow night...we're meeting friends from church for dinner in Darling Harbour.
At Chinta Ria.
A Malaysian restaurant.
gulp.
I have no idea what I'll find to eat.

Hey Look...I Saw the Pope!

2008-07-18T11:33:00.000+10:00

On Thursday the Pope was scheduled to arrive in Sydney Harbour by way of a boat-a-cade (that word still makes me laugh). The people kept coming to Circular Quay where his boat was going to turn around and began to line the area at least a good three hours before he was scheduled to arrive. Meanwhile I was able to stay in my apartment with relative ease...make some lunch...watch an episode of Law and Order...(by the way did you know you can watch Law and Order or some form of the show, Special Victims Unit, Criminal Intent etc. almost 100 times a week, every week on four different tv stations? I'm becoming an expert on both law and order.) Here's a picture of the crowd on the other side of our inlet...

The next picture shows the pope on the boat. No, really! Look at the front of the boat, the upper deck up front, see the green flag lying next to the side of the boat? (kind of in the shadow) The pope is just to the left in the white robe.

Look...our apartment building is on tv!!

I was kind of getting tired of hearing over and over again about "our holy father, blah, blah, blah" and was tempted to hang a sheet from our balcony that read, "My Holy Father is not the pope" but didn't want to cause an international incident or anything. Although it did bring back fond memories of Cedarville when our unit in Printy helped Phil's campaign for Student Body Government Treasurer by hanging a sheet from our balcony that read, "CedarPhil (get it...Cedarville, CedarPhil) for SGA Treasurer. He just makes cents." I'm convinced our sign helped turn the tide in the election. Ah, good times. Later that night, the pope drove through the city in his pope-mobile. Found out that I could see it by going out on the balcony off of our bedroom. Sorry, though. It's a bit blurry.

The pope-mobile then turned onto our street, Macquarie St., passed the Opera House, went through the Botanical Gardens and then back to St. Mary's Cathedral where he's staying. So, finally, here's a picture of his motercade passing the front of our apartment building on his way by the Opera House.

Nope, Haven't Seen the Pope Yet

2008-07-16T14:04:00.000+10:00

In case you haven't heard...it's World Youth Day here in Sydney. (Actually, it's more than a day since it's from the 15th till the 20th.) The news has been reporting that over 125,000 people from around the world, including the pope, have come to Sydney. Joy. We've seen some new sights from our balcony...

a fireworks show the other night,

a changing sign projected onto the Harbour Bridge,

and people. Lots and lots of people. Many who are carrying red, yellow, and orange backpacks advertising World Youth Day. Either they were giving them out somewhere or somebody has made a boat-load of money with these things. One also sees many people carrying and waving flags (although it's so nice to see the Stars and Stripes!), chanting, clapping, and singing as they walk along Circular Quay. It sounds like we're at a European football game. Sorry, soccer. (Have I been here too long?)

How to Enjoy a Trip to Palm Beach

2008-07-14T12:38:00.000+10:00

On Saturday (as you can see from previous posts, our day to hop in the jeep and explore) we decided to drive up to Palm Beach, a peninsula north of Sydney and walk to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse. So we got in the jeep and started driving north. We drove through Narrabeen, crossed over Narrabeen Lakes, made the right turn in Mona Vale, passed Newport Beach, Bilgola, and Avalon and finally got to Palm Beach. After much prodding from me, (after passing a McDonald's with my nose and hands pressed to the window) Phil decided to stop for lunch at this cafe. Why...why don't they put ice in glasses when one asks for a soda??? I'll never understand it. But I digress...a post on How to Enjoy a Trip to Palm Beach (on a full stomach).

1. If you're going to hike to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse, make sure you're in the right spot.

Nice beach...but not (yes, like I claimed it was. yes, Phil, you were right) the right one to begin the hike to the lighthouse. See that tiny little thing sticking up on the cliff to the left in the picture? About a half an inch in? Yep...that's the lighthouse.

2. Don't forget to wear sunglasses (or sunnies as they call them here) when hiking on a sunny day.

Had to borrow Phil's for the day. (yes, I am a weenie) But now we're on the right beach and headed up the sand path. Wait...found out by reading a sign posted on the beach that the sand trail is closed for refurbishing and to get to the lighthouse, one must hike up (and I mean seriously straight up) the rock path named Smuggler's Trail. Gulp.

3. Stop and enjoy the view on the way up.

The top of the beach on the left is where we were first. The beach on the right is where we parked the car. This is a long way up, I think, as I'm feverishly sucking in air.

4. Enjoy the view from the top.

Saw this bird sitting right over Phil's head while we had stopped were watching a sea plane land and couldn't resist. Great camera work, if I do say so myself.

5. Enjoy a rest after hiking back down.

Last Saturday

2008-07-10T11:26:00.000+10:00

First, let me start off by saying Phil has had a lot of stress at work these last few weeks. The end of the quarter close and all that, and he has been working some long hours. Even had to go in to work Saturday morning. How does he deal with all the stress, you ask? Perhaps he should take up a hobby, you ponder. I give you the culmination of his stress-relieving activities...building a viking ship out of beer cans.

Just kidding...this was an exhibit at the National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour that we walked over to on Saturday afternoon. Apparently there is a boat-built-out-of beer-cans competition every year in I think, Melbourne to see which boat will actually float and win the race. Here's the museum.

We saw lots of cool exhibits...Trash or Treasure: Souvenirs of Travel, Commerce, Passengers, Navigators, The United States of America Gallery, the History of Swimming and Surfing, the Australian Navy (sorry the picture of the helicopter is a bit dark),

the fastest boat ever,

and the best thing...it was free admission! Nice. All the boats outside, military ships and submarines, as well a replica of the sailing ship, The Endeavour, that Captain James Cook was on when he "discovered" Australia were not, so maybe another day we'll go back and take a look.

Rats...I thought I'd figured out how to get these on the blog with them coming in sideways. Well, if you tip your head to the side you can see a replica of The Endeavour behind the lighthouse.

Tokyo Disney Sea Continued

2008-07-09T10:51:00.000+10:00

As we continue to walk around the "wheel" we move to the next area called the Lost River Delta. The 2 major attractions are Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull (which is very similar to the Dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom) and Raging Spirits (a roller coaster). Rode the first one, did not get to the second one. Phil says we now have to go back to say that we rode all the rides. I don't think so. There is also a place to get on the boat that will take you around the waterway. That we did...needed a break and I had to get out of the wall to wall people. Here's a view from the boat...or maybe it was the bridge we walked on to get to the boat...

From this area you walk (and if you look in the middle of this picture and can make out the building, you may already have an idea) to the Arabian Coast. This has Sinbad's Storybook Voyage (again, a little hard to follow the story told in Japanese) The Magic Lamp Theatre (which was closed) and a big 2 story carousel. Here's a picture...and note the line on the left...not for a ride but you guessed it, for popcorn.

This area is actually called Mermaid Lagoon and has a lot of kiddie rides, like Toontown. Now we've made the circle around the wheel and are now going into the middle which is called Mysterious Island. Underneath a big volcano is the first major ride: Journey to the Center of the Earth. Pretty good.

The other major ride on the island is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Phil claims it's better than the one that used to be at DisneyWorld.

We watched the water parade during the day...

the volcano erupt at night...(exceptional camera work, Phil)

and watched the evening show, "Mythica" later that night. Totally squished and bumped by all the people crowding around the waterway. Seriously...there is nothing wrong with a little personal space, says the American.

Hope you've enjoyed our trip to Tokyo Disney. Now Phil can say he has been to every Disney that there is. A true feat to marvel. Tomorrow...our adventures last weekend.

Tokyo Disney Sea

2008-07-08T10:36:00.000+10:00

On Saturday of our long weekend in Tokyo we took the monorail over to Disney Sea for the day. Surely, because it was a weekend, most people would choose to go to Disney Land, we foolishly thought. Remember that picture of Phil at Hong Kong Disney when you saw maybe two people in the whole picture? Behold the people waiting in line behind us (who were pretty far down the line to begin with) just waiting to get in...

Yeah...and the 10 or so lines on the other side of the entrance gate were just as crowded. I believe we heard that at some point during the day, they also closed Disney Land to any more people coming in because of their crowds. Good times.

I'm going to attempt to describe this park since it's so different to any of the parks back in the States. When you first walk in past the entrance gates, you come to this globe that has water streaming all around it that welcomes you...

Tokyo Disney Sea is layed out like a wheel. There's a big island in the middle of a waterway with bridges (like wheel spokes) that connect you to the different areas around the waterway. After walking under a bridge from the globe area, the whole park kind of opens up. One finds themselves in Mediterranean Harbor. Very pretty. Mostly shops, Italian restaurants, even Venice. We ate my birthday lunch at the Italian restaurant to the right of the picture where the row of pink and red flowers were. No gondola ride, though. Couldn't convince Phil of the fun that would be.

Here's a picture of the whole Mediterranean Harbor from a view across the waterway.

Moving right around the "wheel" you come to American Waterfront. Lots of shops and restaurants. We ate lunch at New York Deli (but the Reuben that Phil ate left a bit much to be desired after the sign in the window claimed "mile-high sandwiches". More like a centimeter-high sandwich.) Many of the streets were done to look like 1930's New York. Here's where Tower of Terror is. (why in the America Waterfront, I'm not really sure.) Huge lines for that ride. Sometimes more than 2 hours. Definitely a fast pass attraction. And you'd be surprised how much you understand (or at least pretend like you understand by nodding your head in a thoughtful manner) directions by hand signals when all of your instructions are in Japanese. Holding up two fingers to let the attendant know how many is in your party must be universal in all languages, however. There's also a huge ship in this section that has two restaurants in it. The Teddy Roosevelt and I can't remember the name of the other one. Take a look (with Tower of Terror in the background).

Walking across the bridge and around the bend you come across Cape Cod. Never having been there, not sure it looks authentic (Gregg, Ashley?) but it was very quaint. Old-fashioned general store, white clapboard town hall, tall sailing ships, etc.

After walking through Cape Cod, one now finds themselves in Port Discovery. Two major rides- Aquatopia and StormRider. The first one was a little vehicle in the water that spins you around and takes you on a curvy path through a grotto. It was ok. Nothing you'd wait in line for. Now StormRider had this huge line that snaked around the whole area. It was described as "a ride to the eye of the perfect storm". Sounded good, so after grabbing a fast pass we got in line. Uh...it was pretty much like the Star Wars ride at MGM. Nothing to wait in line for. But a line snaking around this area that did attract our attention was the line for...

popcorn! Yes, popcorn. There were stands all over the place with different flavors (such as cappuccino, strawberry, chocolate, coconut, and caramel) and at each one, the lines were unbelievable. Who knew? Tomorrow, the tour continues.

Tokyo Disneyland Continued

2008-07-07T10:15:00.000+10:00

Sorry it's been a few days since the last post. We had a busy weekend (which I'll post about later in the week). But to continue our tour of Tokyo Disneyland. Okay...we're walking, we're walking (my tour guide lingo).

Here is a picture of Snow White. Jess was curious...are the Disney characters in Tokyo Disney Japanese-looking with wigs or do they look more like what you're used to seeing in Florida or California? Well, being the aggresive blogger that I am-leaving no stone unturned, using the powerful camera lens, (ok, she was about 10 feet in front of us) and peering through all that makeup, I think the Disney characters are Japanese. Here's a closeup of Belle and Beast too, from the parade we watched. You be the judge. (And by the way...the Japanese are serious here about watching their parades or being the first to line up to see a show. Most bring their own tarps to lay out and sit on (a good 2 hours before the parade or show is supposed to start and camp out). Sheesh...it's just a parade/show. But I digress...

We left the park and then came back later that night...

managed to catch part of the Electrical Light Parade...

Saw the castle all lit up...

but did not see the fireworks over the castle because they were cancelled due to inclimate weather. Whatever that was, because it was not raining. Tomorrow...on to Disney Sea, the park right next door to Disneyland.

So You Thought You Were in Shanghai

2008-07-04T14:02:00.000+10:00

Oops...I've been informed that the pictures from yesterday are not Shanghai, but in fact are still of Hong Kong. Rats. I guess that is the risk one takes when one tries to comment on pictures they did not take and were not there when they were taken. Sorry about that. Below are pictures from Shanghai. My sincerest apologies.

Now, before we move on to Tokyo, I must first comment on how weird it is to spend July 4th in another country. No fireworks, no cook-outs, no parades. Just another cold (still getting used to cold days in July), rainy day in July. So in honor of Independence Day, we have worn our red, white, and blue, Phil has challenged Robin from work (a Brit) to a re-enactment of a Revolutionary War battle at 4:30 pm in the office, and we're having hot dogs, Doritoes, strawberries, and potato salad (which I just remembered that I did not remember putting in the fridge last night after grocery shopping. Just found it on the floor of the jeep. Perhaps we will be skipping the potato salad.) for dinner.

Moving on...I give you Phil and I on our monorail ride to Tokyo Disneyland. Check out the mouse shaped windows and thingys that you hold on to when you have to stand. (cannot remember the word.)

Next we see the entrance to Tokyo Disneyland. Notice the crowds. Also notice the 25 sign. Apparently it was the 25th Anniversary of Tokyo Disney that they were celebrating all year. The big steel and glass structure behind the entrance was over the entire Main Street USA street of shops and restaurants. And behind that...

The castle. And the crowds.

And look...it's Phil eating a churro!

More tomorrow from Tokyo Disneyland.

On to Shanghai and Tokyo

2008-07-03T14:29:00.000+10:00

Well...as you can from yesterday's post, I've been hacked. The management takes no responsiblity for any and all comments from PL. (ok...it's just Phil adding his two cents.)

Back to our Asia tour while I comment on Phil's pictures without really knowing where and what they are (at least until we arrive in Tokyo).

Here we see a lovely night shot of Shanghai. I looked for the day pictures, but alas there are none. Something about a pesky thing called work that kept him busy during the day.

Look...Pizza Hut and 7 Eleven in Shanghai!

And now...on to Tokyo. I flew out from the States on June 26th to meet Phil in Tokyo. And let me just say...after a short flight to Chicago and 4 hour layover, a flight a little over 9 hours to Tokyo is much better than the 15 or 16 hour flight from the west coast to Sydney. Who knew that I'd ever be saying that a 9 hour flight was nothing!

Phil picked me up at the airport, got us train tickets and we were on our way into Tokyo. (the airport is an hour from the city.) And if it wasn't for him meeting me...perhaps I would still be at the ticket maching trying to figure out how much yen to put in the machine and trying to figure out by looking at the map exactly which train I needed. No clue!

We pulled in to Tokyo, left the station and walked next door to the Imperial Palace to take a look around the grounds. So here's my only touch of real culture from the trip...a guard tower near the moat that surrounds the grounds of the Imperial Palace.

After a dinner of pizza for me and a cheeseburger for Phil, (who would've known that the pizza in Japan is much better than the pizza in Australia?) we got to our hotel...the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay. Check out the road directions on the street.

The hotel was very nice. I enjoyed English breakfasts at the restaurants in the morning- scrambled eggs, bacon (the American kind, not Australian bacon which is wide and chewy like Canadian bacon), croissants, fruit, and hot tea. But I'd have to say the neatest part of the hotel was their toilet seats. Yeah...their toliet seats.

They're heated!! Forget the bidet or shower button...I mean really, isn't paper truly enough? But a nice heated seat first thing in the morning? Lovely. Tomorrow...on to our first stop, Tokyo Disneyland.

We're Back...

2008-07-02T08:23:00.001+10:00

Phil and I arrived back in Australia early Monday morning after an overnight flight from Tokyo. Sorry for the lack of posts in June (is it seriously July already?), but you, my loyal readers know we were back in the States for awhile. Had a fabulous time...miss family, friends, my bed, and just the best dog in the world, Sox. Back to the world of iceless Diet Coke. Sigh. But first...I must catch you up on our travels. Phil left to come back to Australia a few weeks before I did because he had to make a whirlwind Asia tour. He left for Hong Kong, then Shanghai, and then finally Tokyo. I tranferred all of his pictures from his trip on to the computer, but because I wasn't there, I'm really not sure where or what they are. So...this could be fun. My version of Phil's Asia trip.

Here we are in the city of Hong Kong. I think. Is Phil on a boat? Hanging out of his hotel window?Dangling from a dock pier?

PL- This is Phil standing on a rather solid dock pier taking a picture from the center of Hong Kong over to Tsim Sha Tsui- a shopping/dining/cruise terminal area of Hong Kong that's just across the Bay. Of note in the picture is the Star Ferry to TST on the right side. You'll note it's strong lack of apparent structural integrity. Add to that the boats general lack of appropriate power for it's size. The next day I boarded one of those boats to TST to survey the area. It's probably less than 1 mile across to TST which made for a 5 minute trip across, and a 30 minute trip back while fighting a current that the boat could barely overcome...

Hong Kong at night.

PL- This area is known as Lan Kwai Fong and is a popular night spot in Hong Kong. Interestingly there is a strong shortage of Chinese/Hong Kong faces in the crowds at LKF and a lot of british and american looking white people...

Here, Phil is at the entrance of Hong Kong Disney. Notice the mid-stride run. Impressive camera work.

PL- and strangely, they're running AWAY from the entrance.

At the entrance of the park.

Not Cinderella's castle and not Snow White's castle, but Sleeping Beauty's castle. And notice the lack of crowds. Phil made it through the entire park in 3 or 4 hours. As you will see in a few days...not the case when we went to Tokyo Disney.

PL- and 4 hours included a lunch break!! Don't blink or you'll miss the castle.

That classic ride...It's A Small World.

PL- and now that I've been to Disney in every location it exists, it really does seem like a small world after all!!

Apparently, Phil left Hong Kong Disney and took some cable car ride up to the top of some mountain (while getting a great view of the city) in order to gain some wisdom from the man at the top of the mountain. That wise sage...you know him as...

PL- the proper local term is "the peak" and coincidentally this is known as "the peak tram".

Michael Jackson. "Oww...whoooo hooooo" (my Michael Jackson impersonation.) Thank you, thank you very much. Seriously, Phil found a Madame Tussaud's wax museum and went through.

PL- Back when MJ was still "Bad"....

And finally, a great view from the top of the mountain. Tomorrow we move on to the next stop in our Asia tour...Shanghai.

Update for June!!!

2008-06-18T18:44:00.000+10:00

Hi All!! Our normal family blogger is on holiday (vacation for the Americans) for a bit, so I figured I'd give a quick update on what's going on (this is Phil).

Last you heard, I had suffered an agonizing defeat of about 5 minutes....

We had a good time in Philly for a few weeks hanging out with family and friends. I had to work during the business days, but it was nice to be home on the nights and weekends. Sandra and I got to go to a Phillies game (wouldn't you know, this will probably be "the year"). I got to retest my ability to fly an airplane and came away unscarred, and we got to experience the Philly summer a bit early.

I've now been back in Sydney for a week and a half and Sandra and Sox are currently in Ohio. Sox was a bit jealous of all our travel, so Sandra took him on a trip.

Tomorrow I start a bit of a whirlwind Asia tour- stopping in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo. That's right dad, Hong Kong and Tokyo. By this time next week, I will have been to every existing Disney theme park on the earth, and I'll post pictures to prove it!!

Sandra and I will finally meet on the last tour stop in Tokyo about this time next week.

I'll post some pictures as I tour around.

I won, I won, I won !!!

2008-05-28T11:45:00.000+10:00

That's right! I beat Phil by 15 minutes in our Amazing Race back home. I managed to get the straight through flight from San Francisco after all (and for less than $70 bumped myself to Economy plus seating!) and even had the whole row of three seats to myself to stretch out and sleep for an hour and a half! Felt real good after the miserably, long flight from Sydney where the girl in front of me had her seat back so far, it dug into my knees the entire flight. Yeah, that was fun. I admit, I couldn't resist the extra hard shove of the seat everytime I got up to stretch. I know...not nice. But it was all worth it to see the look on Phil's face when I met him at his gate (which happened to be right next to mine). Priceless.
Now as for my list of things I was dreaming about...
Seeing Sox- check. Oh, so nice.
Eating a Cheesesteak- yet to come
Sleeping in our own bed- check. Felt like I was laying on a marshmellow. Man, there's something to be said for a memory-foam, pillow-top mattress.
Drinking glasses of Diet Coke filled to the top with ice- check. Four and counting...
Watching tv shows that aren't reruns from years ago- yet to come. Who has time for tv when I'm catching up on all these other things?
Pizza from Peppi's- yet to come but did have Brother's Pizza tonight. Mmmm.
Going to Phillies games- check. And last night's game...The Phillies beat the Rockies 20-5. Hits and home runs galore. And a bonus...dollar dog night at Citizen's Bank Park. Ashley declined the hot dogs, I had one and Phil had three, but Gregg took the prize with five.
Being with friends and family- check. Just the best, with more to come.
Driving on the right side of the road- check. It's so nice to drive without the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that I just may hit something this time.
There's no place like home.

Amazing Race Part II: Phil's Revenge

2008-05-24T12:48:00.000+10:00

Yes, we leave tomorrow (Phil at 10:00 am, me at 2:40 pm) to go back to the states for a few weeks. As we stand right now, Phil is scheduled to get in about an hour before me (who is supposed to get in around midnight), but we'll see. Phil is taking the treacherous route through Canada known for massive delays in past trips. I am scheduled through San Francisco, then Chicago, and then finally to Philly, but will try to get on a straight through from San Francisco to shave time off of my trip. Perhaps if I plead at the counter that I'm in a race and tell them I have to get on that flight they'll let me on the as now full flight. :) I'll keep you posted, while I'm not holding my breath.
I'll leave you so I can continue dreaming about seeing Sox, eating a cheesesteak, sleeping in our own bed, drinking glasses of Diet Coke filled to the top with ice, watching tv shows that aren't reruns from years ago, pizza from Peppi's, going to Phillies games, being with friends and family, driving on the right side of the road...

Busy Weekend

2008-05-19T11:13:00.000+10:00

Friday night we discovered a new (to us) restaurant in the The Rocks. I give you: The Gumnut TeaGarden (cool name, huh?) Picture an outdoor stone patio surrounded by trees and gardens with candles on all the tables and lit lanterns hanging around the gardens while two guitarists play duets together. Nice, huh? And the food was good, too. Love that lamb! Saturday morning we drove down to Darling Harbour. We took a walk around Paddy's Market in Chinatown. It's a big indoor market that sells lots of junk. Really. We then walked over to the Chinese Garden of Friendship. I posted about it earlier but Phil and I actually went in and walked around. Very pretty.

Here's a picture of yours truly a little bit closer to the waterfall.

And here's a picture of the building at the top of the waterfall.

Why, why does it sometimes put pictures sideways ???? Sorry, I can't figure out how to change it, but if you tilt your head to the side, it's still a good picture of a cool building.

We then drove over to Watson's Bay to walk around Gap Park and eat some good ole' fish and chips at Doyle's Wharf. Check out the skyline of Sydney from the top of the cliff we climbed and hiked around. Fun weekend!

Driving Solo in Sydney

2008-05-15T16:03:00.000+10:00

That's right! Tuesday morning I finally jumped behind the wheel and drove BY MYSELF to a women's Bible study at church. No worse for wear and the jeep only has a tiny, miniscule, hardly-noticeable scratch on the left side. To explain...first, let me show you a picture of Beast.

Seriously...it's like driving a tank down the streets of Sydney. And did I mention that the streets of Sydney are more narrow than the streets of the U.S.? I'm crossing the Harbour Bridge with a huge bus on one side of me and a cement barrier right out side my car window. I'm sucking in all air and holding my breath in order to make myself more narrow. Anyhoo, see that pole next to the car? That was my nemesis. But you can hardly see the scratch, right?

It took me a full 15 minutes just to get out of the parking garage (or car park as they call it here.) Trying to make these tight turns in Beast...nearly impossible. Picture lots of going forward, backing up, going forward while turning the steering wheel as far to the left as possible, stopping, backing up, trying again...

Once I got on the open road, no problem. Except for those narrow lanes. Oh, and parking once I got to the church. There was absolutely no way I was going to try and turn this tank into a parking spot so I just parked on the street.

After the Bible study, I felt brave and decided to drive to a mall that we usually go to on Sundays after church to do our grocery shopping for the week. (Yes, most malls here have a grocery store in them.) That car park isn't a problem because it's much bigger and I parked in the middle of no-man's land without anything near me for a good 20 feet. This was after I nagivated through one of Sydney's most annoying features. Round-abouts. They're traffic circles that they have everywhere instead of a lot of traffic lights. Remembering which way to go around the circle isn't the big deal. Remembering that the car already in the circle has the right of way is. Happy to report the brakes and seat belts work real well in Beast.

Back From Camp

2008-05-12T11:46:00.000+10:00

We're back from family camp and had a great time. The place was a bit, uh...rustic but nice just the same. We were in a cabin with two other couples. I kept having flashbacks to good ole' Camp Kirkwood, the church camp I went to as a kid, as I laid there freezing in my bunk bed. Yes, bunk bed. (Well...flashbacks minus the sound of men's voices in the room. For pete's sake, it was church camp back then and boys were not allowed in the girl's cabins and vice versa.) We got to know many people from the church better and met some new ones for the first time. Here's some pictures of the camp. Beautiful and out in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

And now for the answers to the last post's game. Alas...no winners. Not even any guesses. I suppose from now on, I'll just stick to posting the pictures and telling you where I am at the same time.
A. The Opera House
B. Sydney Hospital
C. St. James Church- built back in 1820- therefore the oldest one
D. Hyde Park Barracks- This was built in 1819 to house convicts who worked in the city. It then
became a place for poor, single women and orphans to live. It's a cool
museum to walk through.
E. Parliament House- Where the NSW state legislature sits and meets
F. State Library of New South Wales
G. Sydney Conservatorium of Music

And for the bonus question answer...they are all on the street we live on- Macquarie Street.

Where in the World is Sandra Lankford?

2008-05-09T15:02:00.001+10:00

In a nod to the annual Matt Lauer trip on the Today Show that usually happens around this time of the year, I thought I'd create my own game. (Yes...I have a lot of time on my hands over here.) I'll show you a picture of a building here in Sydney. You name the building. And I may even give you a hint.

A. Hint: Ok...do you really need a hint for this one?

Hint: You never want to go here, but if need to...you're glad it's here.

Hint: It's the oldest church in Sydney

Hint: Convicts

Hint: There are government flags outside of this building.

Hint: If you read this right, you may be able to figure out what this is.

G. Hint: Stop here and listen to the music

AND FOR YOUR BONUS QUESTION: What one thing do all of these buildings have in common? (And no, it isn't just that they're all in Sydney.)

So start digging, surfing the web, or whatever you do to find stuff out and post your answers as a comment. I'll reveal the answers and if we have a winner, when Phil and I return on Sunday afternoon from our weekend away. We are going to family camp. Yes, that's right. The church we've been attending has family camp every year so we're joining the fun this year. It's at a conference center about an hour and 1/2 north of Sydney and I have no idea what to expect. I am looking forward to getting to know people better, though, so I'll let you know how it went next week.

Oh...last night Phil and I met with a guy Phil works with and his wife at a restaurant in Chinatown for dinner. Yes, I was afraid. Very afraid. (of the food, not the people). I tried Peking Duck, one of the appetizers. I'm happy to report...it tasted like chicken. It went fine with my main dish of yes, you guessed it...chicken. I did have some Mongolian Beef as well as these lettuce wraps that reminded me of the lettuce wrap appetizers that we always get at P.F. Chang's. See...I'm branching out.

We're Supposed to Bring What??!!

2008-05-07T13:07:00.000+10:00

First, let me just say that yes, I'm still having trouble with the Australian accent...especially over the phone. Combine that with people talking their normal speed (i.e. too fast) and sometimes I have a hard time figuring out what people are saying to me over the phone.
Last night, Phil and I decided to go over to the home of a couple from the church we've been attending who hosts a small group every Tuesday night for Bible study. I wasn't sure of the time, so I called Judy to ask her when it starts. I thought to myself (rather proudly) that I remembered reading a book on Australian culture before we arrived that said to always offer to bring something when invited over to someone's house here. So I asked, "Can we bring anything?" Judy responded, "Just a bottle."
Now...still thinking to myself as I dialed Phil to let him know the time, "Does she mean a bottle of wine? Are we supposed to bring one every Tuesday night?"
After I relayed the conversation to Phil in all seriousness on my part, I was met with silence over the phone on his part. And then Phil said (with what I sense was a bit of mirth on his part), "Ya think she might've said to bring a Bible to Bible study?" Oh. Yeah. That would make more sense, I thought sheepishly, as I replayed the conversation in my mind. But I swear it sounded like bottle with that accent. English, indeed.

Scuba Diving and Snorkeling the Barrier Reef

2008-05-04T14:52:00.000+10:00

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. We took the ferry over to Manly Beach, ate some lunch, watched some lifeguard boat races, and then later, drove over to Hillsong for their Saturday night service to hear this U.S. pastor who was speaking. Long story short, but someone who shall remain nameless (ok, Phil) got the campuses mixed up and Erwin McManus wasn't speaking at the Hills campus, but the city campus. Oh well...he's speaking at the Hills campus tonight for their 7:00 pm service so we'll try it again tonight. To continue last weekend's story...

On Saturday morning we walked over to the docks to the boat that would take us to the diving boat that we were staying on for a couple of days. As we're rolling along on the waves (very glad for that Dramamine pill I took earlier) I asked Phil how long it would take to get to the dive boat. I really thought he was kidding when he answered 2 and 1/2 hours. Seriously??!! I was not aware of that. Convenient how that was left out when the whole trip was explained to me... Here's a picture of the boat that took us over.

We got to the dive boat around 11:30 am or so and after a briefing on how things worked and lunch, we had our first water session at 1:30. Here's a picture of the boat that we stayed on with the mountains of Cairns, Australia way in the distance.

Yep...we would dive/snorkel, then the boat would pull the anchor up and we'd go to another area on the Reef and do the same. For those who wanted to (and there were quite a few who did) you could dive/snorkel all 6 water sessions every day: 6:30 am (yeah, whatever), 8:30 am, 10:30 am. 1:30 pm. 3:30 pm. and then the night dive at 6:30 pm. And no...I did not partake of the opportunity 6 times a day. I did snorkel a few times. Mostly on my own since Phil was with an instructor completing dives for his scuba certification. And yes, I also spent quite a bit of time on the top deck sitting in the sun with a book. Finished two of them on the trip. Here's a picture of some snorkelers, so pretend I'm one of them.

Now to be honest...I would be a snorkeler with a pool noodle. You know those tube-like floats that people like to lean on when in a pool? If I'm going to be floating along in the middle of the ocean, I'm not ashamed to admit I want a floatie.

When the boat was not in the middle of a water session, everyone sat around getting to know each other. I've never met so many people from other countries in one place in my life. We met people from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, France, the UK, Brazil, New Zealand, and of course, Australia. And a couple of Americans as well. Would you even believe a recent grad of Bob Jones University?

To be honest, I'd never really given the Barrier Reef much thought. I guess because I never thought I'd ever see it. But the colors underwater are just...unreal. Pink, light blue, purple, golden, white, deep blue, etc....It's beautiful. The fish included. I've never seen so many colors and different sizes and shapes. And yes...my last snorkeling session, I did find Nemo! :)

One night we went out on the top deck to sit and look at the sky. I've never seen so many stars in all my life. And the Milky Way, too. I actually saw it! The stars seemed to go all the way to the horizon. I've never seen them so close. It felt like you could reach out and touch them. I don't remember the actual reference, but some verse in Psalms states that God has numbered the stars. It was amazing to really think about while looking up.

Finally, some pictures of Scuba Phil himself. Here he is with his diving partner, Frank. He did get his certification and really liked diving. Great...I was just thinking that Phil needed another hobby.

And here he is coming up from his last dive. After being hauled out of the water and onto the platform with all of his heavy equipment. By a girl. hee hee.

Cairns to Kuranda

2008-05-02T09:47:00.000+10:00

Friday night we flew the three hours up to Cairns. When we got to the airport, Phil went to the Avis counter to get our car. Banking on the fact that they never have the tiniest compact car actually there, Phil agreed to the small car. Well...did you ever see Ashton Kutcher driving around Europe in his movie, "Just Married"? The car wasn't really that small but we did fondly name our car: The Rollerskate. Picture us driving to the hotel...Nnnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Saturday morning we walked through the town to the train station to take a ride on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, an hour and 45 minute trip to Kuranda, in the middle of the rainforest. Yep...I didn't know there was a rainforest in Australia either.

The trip was beautiful. I got a flashback to the Von Trapp family, the day they wore the play clothes made from Maria's curtains as they explored Salzburg. Do you remember the scene on the train? Is it just me or do you get that flashback too? Take a look...

The trip took us through Freshwater Station, Redlynch, and Jungara: the site of the largest field hospital in the southern hemisphere during WWII where soliders injured in the Pacific were flown for treatment. We also passed by Stoney Creek Falls. Very pretty.

Ok, now I don't know why that picture came up sideways, and I can't get it to turn, but if you turn your head to the left, it's still a nice picture of the falls. We passed Glacier Rock and Red Bluff, while also going through 15 hand-carved tunnels up the mountain. After tunnell 14 we saw this great view of the Coral Sea with the city of Cairns at the coast.

We also passed by Robb's Monument (and Rob, a fitting monument to you!) and then finally Barron Falls. Another pretty waterfall.

Once we got to Kuranda, we walked through the little town. Lots of shops, restaurants, cafes, and tourist traps. While eating lunch I once again pondered why Australians think that putting beetroot (or beets as we call them) on hamburgers is a good thing. I don't get it. And hamburgers here taste more mealy...like you're eating meatloaf. A sad thing when the best hamburger I can get here is at McDonald's. For the way back instead of taking the train we took the Skyrail. Notice the entrance is calm, even serene one might say.

Calm and serene is not what I'm feeling as I find myself once again, white-knuckling it in a little cable car for 4.7 miles as we flew over the rainforest in Barron Gorge National Park. I hate those things. And serene is not what I'm feeling as Phil is swaying the cable car from side to side. In fact, I believe my exact words were, "Sometimes you make me not like you."

But all was well as we took a bus back to Cairns and walked around the town before eating dinner. Tomorrow...our trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

Anzac Day Parade

2008-05-01T08:39:00.000+10:00

We're back from our weekend in Cairns! We had a great time and I'll take a couple of posts to describe what we saw. That way I'll keep all fans of the blog interested. Because in the words of Phil, "If you don't post, they won't read." So...As I posted previously, the 25th (Friday) was Anzac Day. No, we did not get up for the 4:00 am service. Just wasn't going to happen. We did get up for the parade and made our way over to George St., the main route of the parade. As we were walking over, I made note of several things. First, there were military men and women everywhere. And many former military members. Current and former all wore their service medals on their jackets or shirts. If they were their own medals, they were worn on the person's left side. If they were the medals of a deceased family member who served they were worn on the person's right side. And just about everyone was wearing them. It was something to see! Second, it must be a tradition to also attach a small sprig of rosemary attached to a small Australian flag. They were handing them out everywhere so Phil and I joined the crowd and attached them to our clothing (alas, without my little Australian flag that Phil wouldn't buy me.) A picture of the parade route to follow. (And yes, it rained buckets on our parade.)

The Anzac Day Parade is different from any parade I've ever seen. There are no floats or cars, just people. Every regiment from every branch of the military is represented. Each group walks behind a banner announcing their particular group and where they've fought. The actual soldiers walk directly behind the banner and then descendants and family members of those who are deceased (often carrying pictures of the deceased) follow behind. Those who couldn't walk were driven in an army truck.

As each group walks by, the crowd along the parade route clap and cheer. It's really very moving. Along with the military regiments there are also high school bands (heard many renditions of "Waltzing Matilda") and lots of bagpiper groups.

Every group also walked next to the cenotaph on Martin Place. This is a memorial to all who have served. As you can see, lots of people laid flowers there. Many of them had notes attached with actual names, dates, and battlefields of relatives who had fought and died. Again, very moving.
Actually, every town and city in Australia has a memorial somewhere in it to WWI. When we walked by the one in Cairns on Saturday, it had many flowers around it as well from their Anzac Day service. All in all....a good morning. Lest we forget, indeed.

Breaking Records, Working Girl, and Anzac Day

2008-04-24T21:20:00.000+10:00

Well...I read in the paper today that Sydney has broken a 15 year old record...we have now had 12 straight days of rain. More impressively, it's been 77 years since Sydney has experienced 12 consecutive rainy days in April. Joy. Drought, indeed.
Sorry about the non-existent posts but I've been busy at my quasi-job. That's right. Phil got me a very part-time job at his office working the front desk when the regular girl is out. I worked one day last week and yesterday and today. Yes, DAGS...that beloved answering-the-phone job. Never thought I'd volunteer for it. I feel like a dork when I can't find the right employee on the phone ext. list or at times can't understand the Australian accent over the phone, but who's going to fire the boss's wife? :)
Tomorrow is Anzac Day, a national holiday here in Australia. It commemorates April 25, 1915 when the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzacs) landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey during WWI. They fought there for 8 months and had 25,000 casualities. Every year they start the day with memorial services at dawn. Or earlier. Since the soldiers (or diggers as they're called here) landed at 4:28 am most cities and towns across the country have early services. The one here in Sydney begins at 4:00 am. Yikes...I don't think we'll make it. But we are going to try and go to the parade later in the morning.
Tomorrow night we fly up to Cairns for a long weekend. We'll explore the rainforest on Saturday, get on the boat which will take us to the dive boat on Sunday morning and spend a few days snorkeling and diving the Barrier Reef. Who am I kidding...I'll probably spend most of my time on the deck with a good book or three, but I will snorkel some and maybe try scuba diving. I'll post some pictures when we get back.

Darling Harbour, The Real World Sydney House and the Powerhouse Museum

2008-04-17T08:54:00.000+10:00

After meeting Phil for lunch I decided to walk down to Darling Harbour. I had a mission from our last trip home from my friend, Faith to find the The Real World Sydney house. (Don't worry, Gregg, my mission of finding you kangaroo-skin soccer shoes is next.) So Faith...here it is.

Darling Harbour is an area of Sydney that is a popular place to walk around because it has lots of shops, clubs, restaurants, parks and museums. Phil and I had walked down here last weekend and went to the Imax Theater to see U2 in 3D. (not huge fans of U2 but it was impressive to see and hear Bono on a 8 story movie screen.) There's a big kids' play area here as well. Below is a picture of the paddleboat pond and the bungee trampoline. Looks fun.

As I walked further I passed the Chinese Garden of Friendship. This was built in 1988 as a gift from the city of Guangdong. The two carved dragons represent the sister cities of Guangdong and Sydney. (Of course, the guidebook.)

All of the walking led me to the Powerhouse Museum. I had read (yes, the guidebook) that it was Sydney's most popular museum. Well....it was okay. Kind of reminded me of the Franklin Institute back in Philly but not as interesting. The exhibit that I did like, though, and the real reason I went was the traveling exhibit on Diana, Princess of Wales. Now that was cool! I saw all kinds of personal effects, lots of dresses/gowns, home movies, funeral condolence (not sure of that spelling) books and I was this close...this close to her wedding dress with the 25 foot train spread out! (Well...it was behind glass, but still.) One of the signs in that room said that over 1 billion people watched the wedding on tv. (Including yours truly with my mom and sister.) Ah...good times.

Oops...I forgot to add the pictures of Darling Harbour so here they are.

Look out Sydney, I'm Driving Now!!

2008-04-15T15:10:00.000+10:00

Well...let's not get crazy. I only drove to church and back on Sunday morning but it is something. It's a good 20 minutes or so each way, so it counts. Now I've fondly nicknamed the jeep "Beast" because well, I feel like I'm in a tank when I'm in it.
My first amazing feat was to get Beast out of the parking garage (or car park as they they call it here). Picture a lot of backing up, going forward, backing up, going forward. And that was just to get out of the parking spot. Phil kept reminding me to make wide turns and crank the steering wheel all the way over when I made the turns in the garage but one thing at a time. I'm still trying to get used to everything being on the opposite side of the car.
I never realized how instinctual driving is. My hand would go to dials, switches, and the gear shift that wasn't there as my eyes would automatically go to the rearview mirror that wasn't there. This is going to take a lot of practice.
Once I got on the road, I believe we were crossing the Harbor Bridge when precious Phil glanced at his watch and remarked, "Hm...maybe we should've left a little earlier. Do you see all the cars that are flying past us?" Okay...yes, I was going a bit slow..but give me a break. It was my first time.
Another thing to get used to is the tendency to drift to the left while you're in the lane. Phil kept reminding me to "Watch your lane". I was getting flash backs to being 16 sitting in the car with my driving instructor.
We made it to church just fine. I asked Phil how I did and again...sweet thing...said, "Well...besides almost taking off the side of the car a few times in the parking garage, not bad." Good enough...I'll take it.
After church I drove to the local mall where we eat at the food court every Sunday for lunch and even drove home. Not sure if I'm ready to solo yet...okay, I know I'm not ready to solo yet, but still, it felt good to finally try.

Windsor, Whitewater Rapids, and Almost Face-Plant on the Streets of Sydney

2008-04-13T20:23:00.000+10:00

On Saturday, we hopped into the jeep for a drive about an hour northwest of Sydney to the town of Windsor. (named after the royal town on England's Thames River.) (yes..the guidebook again.) The town was established in 1810 and reminded us a bit of New Hope for those blog readers of PA. Lots of bikers. We parked in front of the Macquarie Arms Hotel which has the claim to fame of having been used continously as a hotel since 1815 except from 1840-1874 when it was a private residence. Shown below is the outdoor walking mall that is the town's main drag.

Windsor is a town that's in an area of Australia called the The Upper Hawkesbury because the whole area surrounds the Hawkesbury River. Had to get a picture of said river, so...and look, a smiling Phil too.

Windsor has this restaurant called the Clydesdales Restaurant. It looks like a stagecoach that is pulled by Clydesdale horses that seats up to 8 diners and takes you on a 2 hour tour of the city while you eat. Cool, I thought. Not cool, when I looked online and found out that it was $145 per person. Yeah, right. So we ate at Windsor Seafood and had that good ole' stand by-fish and chips.

We then drove to find the town of Wilberforce. Yes, my blog readers of Cedarville knowledge...just like the Wilberforce near our alma mater. You drive a curvy road looking at farm fields, see a tiny little sign that says "Wilberforce", you blink, and you miss the entire town. And yes, it was also named for the English guy in Parliament that ended slavery in England. Not much to see, but smelled quite a bit thanks to the local farms so we turned around and pressed on.

We drove down to Penrith where the whitewater stadium is that was used in the 2000 Olympic Games. Very cool. We walked around the course and determined that we would be back to actually do it sometime.

After a bum-kicking by Phil in a heated game of miniature golf (sigh...another choke by yours truly) we drove back to the city to pick up some Pizza Hut for dinner. As I walked towards the car I'm still not sure what happened. Yes, I realize that there is a step down from the sidewalk to the street...but in the words of Phil who watched the whole tragedy," One minute you were there and the next you were down in front of the car." I'm happy to report the pizzas were never in jeopardy. I bravely held on so they wouldn't go sliding under the parked car in front of ours by the curb. Alas...that meant I landed on my knees. Hard. Still holding the pizza boxes. Man...that hurt/stung like the dickens. Four bandaids later and knees that were scraped up and ached like an old lady, I gamely limped around the rest of the evening. All is well today, though. And tomorrow I'll blog about my stunning achievement of today...I actually drove around Sydney. Yes...that's right.

Around Hyde Park

2008-04-10T08:48:00.000+10:00

Well all is normal and right with the world now that Phil is back. He was away in Singapore for a few days. (What...I'm going to announce that I'm all alone in the apartment, nee on the continent of Australia for any local crazies to read and get any ideas?) Seriously, our building is like Fort Knox to get into so I felt plenty safe, but still...I have blogged previously about my imagination. Enough said.

After meeting Phil for lunch, I wandered off in a new direction of Sydney. I walked down Macquarie St. towards Hyde Park, "a welcome haven of greenery in the heart of the city." (Of course I'm copying my handy guide book. ) It was created in 1810 and has a couple of cool features. Pictured below is the Archibald Fountain. It commemorates the alliance of Australia and France during World War I.

Directly behind the fountain is this cool walkway that leads to the Anzac War Memorial. Have you ever been in a park where the trees form this sort of canopy feeling? Like you're in a cathedral made of trees? Take a look.

The Anzac War Memorial which was built in 1934 (hence the art deco style) commemorates the lives of all Australians who have died for their country. Anzac stands for (I think) Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. Coming up on April 25th is Anzac Day which is a national holiday and sounds like it's like our Memorial Day. Inside the memorial was a room that had a bunch of displays from World War I up through the current Iraq war. And because I was there by myself, I could fully enjoy reading each and every plaque and sign which I love to do in any museum about history without the impatient foot tapping of Phil. Nice.

Finally, here's a picture of St. Mary's Cathedral which is just on the edge of Hyde Park. It's Australia's first Catholic church that had begun building in 1821 and opened in 1882. If you can see the count down clock in front of it (I think it says 97 days) that is how many days remain until the Pope comes to Australia for World Youth Day. They've already begun to talk about road closures and such. Joy.

Must Blog About the Flugtag

2008-04-07T09:58:00.001+10:00

Since we'd returned to Australia, Phil had told me several times that on Sunday after church we were going to the Botanical Gardens next door to watch the Flugtag. I know...what? It turns out it was a very popular event...60,000 people were in the Gardens to watch the first Red Bull Flugtag in Sydney.

Red Bull's definition of Flugtag: (floog-tag) n. 1. Flying Day 2. A human powered attempt at flight

In a nutshell it was a competition of teams that built human-powered "airplanes" and tried to fly them off a 6 m ramp sitting on top of a barge anchored in the harbor. Apparently Red Bull has been doing these competitions around the world since 1991. But this was their first time in Sydney. Over 35 teams entered "airplanes" they had built to try to win. Each were judged on 1. distance 2. creativity of their machine and 3. pre-flight performance.

The winner with an impressive 14.5 m flight was a crew of mullet-wearing fisherman who "reeled in a victory" (hee hee) with their giant Flying Flounder. No, I am not making this stuff up. Check out www.redbullflugtag.com.au to see some video of the competition.

The dates and locations for the 2008 US Red Bull Flugtag competitions in case you're interested are:
Tampa Bay 7/19/08
Portland 8/2/08 (Wendy???)
Chicago 9/6/08

[Disclaimer: No, I'm not on the payroll or anything. Haven't even tried the stuff. My resident expert (Phil) claims, "It tastes how sweat socks smell." Just thought you might like a good laugh. I know we did.]

And the Winner Is...

2008-04-03T08:28:00.001+11:00

Yes...I won our Amazing Race and beat Phil in to Sydney by almost 5 hours. First let me say though, my victory was made sweeter by my good flight over. Yes, I said good flight over. While en route to San Francisco, Phil was behind the scenes online with United and managed to upgrade my flight from San Francisco to Sydney to business class using his miles. Isn't that the best thing you've ever heard of?! What a guy!! So I was able to stretch out and actually slept 8 and 1/2 hours of the flight! Who knew that a couple of Dramamine tablets would knock me out like that?! I will make note of that for all future flights.
Unfortunately for Phil his demise in our race was sealed in his stop-over in Toronto when he was severely delayed. Something about trying to re-fuel the plane but they couldn't get the hatch open to put the fuel in. After a lovely 3 hour delay he was finally on his way to Vancouver. But alas, he could not catch up.
Once in Sydney I was able to realize another first. My first time getting a taxi all by myself. I know...what's the big deal...but when you grew up in a neighborhood surrounded by the corn fields of Ohio and then moved to the suburbs of Philly where you drive yourself everywhere, it was a big deal to me. As I sat in the back seat I took a good look at the profile of my driver I secretly named Igor (just in case I needed to identify him in a police line up), memorized his id number posted on the badge on the windshield (in case I needed to phone in the numbers to the authorities), and generally kept a pretty good idea in my head of where we were going. I mean really, what if he just started to drive off somewhere and take me away to the dregs of Sydney's underworld never to be heard from again? How would I stop it? I don't know any kung-fu moves. Could I really open the car door of a speeding car and roll out on to the side of the road to escape?
Okay...nothing like that happened. He drove me safe and sound right to the apartment. Made polite conversation. No problems. Everything was just fine. But where do you think they get the ideas for most of the movies on the Lifetime channel? By the way, I named him Igor because I thought he looked a little Russian mobbish to me. (And of course I know oh so many members of the Russian mob.) Yes folks, the above is yet another reason why I don't watch suspenseful/scary movies. My own imagination is quite enough, thank you very much.

Back to Australia Tomorrow

2008-03-31T07:02:00.000+11:00

I can't believe our trip home is just about over. Phil and I leave tomorrow afternoon to fly back to Australia. Him (because it was a business trip)- flying business class on Air Canada. Me- got bumped to first class from Philly to San Francisco because I'm now silver preferred status (whoo hoo) but relegated to the cattle-car in economy for the lovely 15 or so hour flight from San Francisco to Sydney on United. Sigh. Lucky us, we'll have our own version of the Amazing Race to see who gets to Sydney first. Listed below is the Top 10 List of the Best Things About Coming Back Home.

1. Rubbing my nose in Sox's fur as his tail wags furiously for a very happy reunion.

2. Drinking plenty of cans of Diet Coke in glasses filled to the top with lots of ice.

3. Sleeping in our own bed again.

4. Cheesesteaks.

5. Being back at our home church.

6. Being with family a lot.

7. Eating mom's roast with carrots, potatoes, and rutabaga. (I know I'm picky, but I do like rutabaga.)

8. Spending Easter in Ohio with the fam.

9. Pizza from Peppi's. Nothing like it.

10. Lots of hanging out with good friends eating, laughing, and talking just like old times.

Phil Keeping Busy While I'm in the States

2008-03-18T23:49:00.000+11:00

As you will see below, Phil has not just sat and twiddled his thumbs while I'm here in the States. (Although I'm sure he has spent many hours pondering on how much his life is so much emptier when I'm not there to fill his days with joy.) Before I left, he signed up for a trip to the Great Barrier Reef to go scuba diving. I know...what?!!! He wisely figured that I would not be one of the first to sign up for a helicopter ride from Cairns to a boat anchored off of the reef to scuba dive.

Now, at some point I wouldn't mind seeing the reef but I have no desire to ride in a helicopter. And after hearing about the boat ride back to the mainland, I'm not so sure I want to do that either. Rob and Faith, remember our boat ride down to Chesapeake City a couple of years ago? I'll just say that Faith and I were tossing our cookies and when we finally go to the dock, Faith layed down prostrate on the the dock and vowed never to get back in that boat again. Enough said.

But Phil really enjoyed this trip. He met some interesting people. (We now have an open invitation to visit a couple who live in Munich, Germany.) Saw some really cool fish and coral. (See pictures below.) And really liked scuba diving. (After he got used to the breathing from a small tube.) So, add scuba diving to his list of things he likes to do...riding the motorcycle, driving the boat, flying the plane, etc. Really...it's like being married to MacGyver. But Sox and I still can't wait for him to come home on Sunday night!

A few edits from Scuba Phil himself...

For those of you who have never been diving- I think you need to put it on your list of things to do before you get old (ergo- the bucket list!!). Once you get over the extreme awkwardness of being under water yet still being able to breath, it's amazing. So yes, add one more to the "Phil's expensive hobby" list. Hmmm- maybe we should keep that boat after all ;)

Oh, and when you try it- go big, go Great Barrier Reef!! Actually the conditions were really bad (raining and "poor visibility" which in GBR terms means about 30 feet- sometimes you can see 150 feet!!). Sandra and I have done snorkeling a few times in the Carribean, etc but this is a whole different experience.

Just be ready for some open water boating and rough seas. Yes Faith- the trip home was much like our little adventure in the lower Delaware River (who knew the Delaware could get 10 foot swells with breaking heads??) except that you're in a much bigger boat that's not actually leaving the water... You move around a lot, but it doesn't feel unsafe.

For Sandra's benefit, I've been assured that the Australian Winter/Early Spring (August/September) is "guaranteed" to be calm and good conditions.

So all you pasty white East Coasters- get on a plane and get down here. I need a diving partner :) Although I had a very good diving partner on this trip, I'd love to actually go out with someone I know from the start. I met a lot of great people on this little adventure, as Sandra mentioned above a great couple from Munich, Germany- Marcus and Xenia (yes Cedarvillians, just like the city in Ohio- it's Greek for "hospitable" in case you were ever wondering). If you guys are reading this, thanks again for the good company and I hope that you're enjoying the rest of your Australian adventure! Hopefully some of our friends in Philadelphia will get to meet these folks at some point, as we are both trying to get the other couple over to our respective sides of the Atlantic.

I also met and got to spend some time with a few young folks (holy cow I'm sounding old now...) who were spending a year or so "backpacking" through Australia. I'm fascinated by this whole culture of people who spend an extended period of time in a foreign place with no plans or schedule. You see them a lot in Australia (there are a lot of youth hostels in Sydney), but to actually get to know a few of them it was really neat. And now that I've made my parents and Sandra's parents really anxious talking about it, I can assure you that I'm not going backpacking any time soon- I fairly sure that we missed that time in our life!!

The Best News Ever!!

2008-03-13T13:22:00.000+11:00

First things first...the drugs have worked, I've got some sleep, drank much Diet Coke with ice to the top of the glass, have had much fun visiting and laughing with old friends and life is good. And as of last night Sox and I got the best news ever...Phil is coming home!! He unexpectedly has been called to some meetings here in Philly so he's flying home on Easter Sunday night for a whole week here. Woo hoo! My little trip home has now been extended one more week. Sox is showing his excitement below.

So Phil, until you come home and join us...here's a little taste of home, Sox style.

Ever Been Soooo Tired?

2008-03-11T14:15:00.000+11:00

Well, that is a plane ride that I don't want to do again...as I think, "Man, I have to do that again in 2 1/2 weeks." That was brutal. For the Sydney to San Franciso leg the man (with the loud, piercing, Aussie-accented voice) who sat three over from me proceeded to talk for the first seven hours of the trip to the guy sitting next to him. Yes...seven hours. I mean, really, who has seven hours worth of material to talk about with someone you just met minutes before?! Alas...only about an hour or two of sleep.
But it did not compare to the 5 hour leg from San Francisco to Philadelphia. I'm sitting on the aisle with a man at the window mumbling to everyone coming down the aisle "Please don't sit here in the middle seat" over and over. As the flight attendant announces that this is a full flight the mumbling turns to "Please don't be big" over and over. I know...kind of rude, but you know that's what you're saying too. And of course, the largest man on the plane stops right in front of me with a jolly, "Looks like I'm in the middle." I am not amused. I'm really not amused when he moves my arm rest up so that he can fit into his seat and spill over into mine. And amusing is not what I'm thinking when even before we leave the runway for takeoff, his head is back and he's snoring very loudly with a loud snort every once in awhile for good measure. For four and a half hours of the five hour flight I'm lulled not to sleep but to homicidal thoughts of death by pillow-smothering my fellow traveller. Not my best moment, I admit.
After getting home and reuniting with Sox, (oh, so nice) I fell into my bed thinking ah...this is good. Not so good when I woke up wide awake at 2:00 am. Yes...a measly 2 hours of sleep the whole night. I picked up a bit of a cold on the way home as well, so here's to a hefty dose of some medicine that will hopefully knock me out for the next, I don't know, 8-10 hours. Please....

Heading Home

2008-03-08T22:35:00.001+11:00

Well, I'm all packed and ready to head home..although I'm not ready to face 14 hours in a plane to San Francisco, a 2 hour lay-over, and then another 5 hours to Philly. Sigh. We've had a great week with our friends, Dave and Amy and have given them the grand tour of Sydney. We crossed everything off of their list of things to see.
I'm ready to see Sox, friends, family, home, my own bed, glasses filled to the brim with ice and Diet Coke, Chick-Fil-A, etc...but it stinks that Phil has to stay here. :( A minor detail named work. He will have a fun adventure while I'm gone, however. He is flying up to Cairns (pronounced Cans with that Australian accent) and then taking a helicopter to a dive boat that is (I was going to say parked, but I know that's not right) anchored off of the Great Barrier Reef. He'll spend a long weekend there diving and having all the fun that I have no desire to have. Seriously, I wouldn't mind seeing the reef, but the idea of spending a couple of days and nights on a boat does nothing for me. Neither does taking a helicopter ride. Keep me on the ground (I say as I think about the long plane trip ahead). Double sigh.
I will continue to post from home...Phil wants to see pictures of Sox, friends, and family so from tomorrow through the last week in March, my posts will look a little different...got up, petted Sox, watched some current tv shows, lunched with the girls- DAGS, if you will, went over to friend's houses to hang out, spent time with family, etc. Sounds good to me!

Showing 'em Around

2008-03-06T09:39:00.000+11:00

We've had a full week showing our friends Dave and Amy around the city. Yesterday after our Opera House tour (very interesting by the way) Phil went on to work and Dave, Amy, and myself hopped on to the ferry to the Taronga Zoo. We spent the day there and I even got my picture taken with a koala.

Yes...still nursing a little sunburn from the previous day. Forgot the old sunscreen once again. Today Amy and Dave are taking the ferry over to Manly Beach for a day at the, well, beach. I need to get a passport picture taken for our Visa application as well as stop at the office of immigration to fill out a form that will allow me to leave the country before the Visa is approved. Otherwise, I may not be allowed back in. Not much else new...may have some pictures later of Bondi Beach (where we're headed for the day tomorrow) or pictures of the Pacific Coast Highway which we're driving down on Saturday.

The Blue Mountains

2008-03-04T10:50:00.001+11:00

We had a great time on Monday travelling to the Blue Mountains, about 2 hours west of Sydney. On the way to Katoomba, a town where there is a lot of touristy things to see and do, we stopped off in Leura, the town right before it to hike some paths down to a waterfall. I can't remember the name of it but it was pretty! I think it was the Leura Cascades.

We hopped back into the Jeep and then drove to Katoomba. Once there we drove to Scenic World. This was once the headquarters of the Katoomba Coal Mines. (No, I'm not using my handy guide book...just the visitors map I picked up there.) We got a great picture of "The Three Sisters". According to Aboriginal legend these were three, yes, sisters that were turned into rock. Seen below. If you're wondering why the Blue Mountains are called the Blue Mountains...and even if you're not...they're called that because "the ever present haze that gives the Blue Mountains their name is caused by rays of light striking droplets of oil dispersed by the gum trees."

While at Scenic World we took the railway down to the bottom of the valley. Now this "train ride" was too much fun. It's the steepest railway in the world. We were enclosed in what felt like cages and then the train went almost straight vertically down. In the words of Phil, "They would never have a ride like this in the U.S." But don't worry, we had a plastic chain across the sides of the open train car to keep us in. Very fun.

We then walked along the boardwalk paths at the bottom and then took a cable car back up to the top. We also took another cable car across from one mountain to another. Very, pretty...and yes...I was a bit white-knuckled on the cable car even though it was completely closed in.

When we left Scenic World we drove to Blue Mountain National Park to see some kangaroos in the wild. Really...they were just eating the grass right by the side of the car. We also saw some cockatoos and one nasty spider.

Today, Phil is working till 3:00ish so I'm taking Dave and Amy to the Botanical Gardens and the Rocks this morning and early afternoon. Early tomorrow morning we have a tour scheduled of the Opera House. Should be fun.

Singapore...the Sequel

2008-03-02T10:27:00.000+11:00

Well, our friends Dave and Amy arrived safely here in Australia this morning...after vowing not to step on to an airplane for awhile. (at least till their return trip to Michigan next Sunday). We're going to go out and do some exploring in a bit so I thought I'd finish up yesterday's post. On Wednesday night after Phil got back to the hotel, we took a cab to the mall where we got on a little monorail that takes you over to Sentosa. As mentioned yesterday, Sentosa is a resort island right off the coast of Singapore. After stepping off of the monorail one of the first things you see is the Merlion. The Merlion is a statue that's half lion half fish that spits out water into, the water. This is a copy of the real Merlion that is in the business district. I was expecting more..but below is the real Merlion and then the lit up copy of the Sentosa Merlion, a 37 meter statue. Not sure of the conversion to feet. I've only now just mastered the conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius...(multiply by 9, divide by 5, and then add 32). Wouldn't it just be easier if we all just got along and did Fahrenheit together? (said the American.)

The best part of the day was riding the street luge ride. The street luge is part go-cart and part-tobaggan. I pulled out in front of Phil right away but after an "Eat my dust" taunt, he flew past me and I tried to catch up the rest of the way down. But it was not to be. After getting off at the bottom of the hill, we took the ski lift back up to the top. Phil took some nice pictures while I white-knuckled it all the way up. I am not a fan of heights, especially when dangling from a cable. Below is part of the 650 meter luge track. Good times!

Finally, after we got off of the luge we walked across the street to a little beach. Not the best picture but I know mom always likes to see pictures of us. And unfortunately, if Phil has the camera, no pictures of him. So, mom...this one's for you. Tomorrow Phil is taking the day off and all four of us are driving to the Blue Mountains, about 2 hours west of Sydney. We'll take some pictures and give you a tour.

Observations of Singapore

2008-03-01T09:22:00.000+11:00

Well, we got back yesterday afternoon after several days in Singapore. After a nice 3 and 1/2 hour nap yesterday afternoon (needed after an overnight flight that included the man next to me snoring all night as well as the baby seated 2 rows ahead of us crying alllll night long...what, it's not ok to give a baby a cocktail or a bottle of formula mixed with a tad of vodka to quiet them?) and a full night of sleep I'm feeling good. Here are my observation of Singapore...enjoy!

1. Flying Singapore Air on the big Airbus 320 is the way to go.

On our way out we flew this huge airplane. It's a full double-decker airplane that seats over 500 people. The flight wasn't full so Phil and I got our own row of 4 seats just for us. The seats were roomier...even in Economy, we had big individual tv screens to watch movies, tv, and even play games on (lots of Who Wants to be A Millionaire) whenever we wanted to, meals that were actually good with real silverware (ok, still plastic knives) and real glasses, hot cloths to wash your face, etc. Nice. Refer to my above paragraph regarding our trip home on a smaller plane...not so nice.

2. There is a lot of humidity in Singapore.

Ever see that Friends episode where they all go to (I think) Bermuda and Monica's hair gets frizzier and curlier the longer they stay? Yep....I believe at one point Phil says to me, "Wow...your hair is frizzy." After my morning showers I would blow dry it straight but by the end of each day it would not be so. I think our last day there, the tour guide on our bus that we were driving around on said that it was nice today...not so humid...only about 80% humidity. Enough said.

3. The picture of Singapore in my mind was not what Singpore really looked like.

I'd never been to Singapore before so I really didn't know what to expect. Actually, I'd never really thought much about Singapore...I guess chalk that up to my American view of the world- not really thinking too much about the rest of the world outside of the US. I pictured men with funny straw hats pulling people in rickshaws down the street. A bit off...Singapore is full of busy streets (of cars), lots of lights, huge skyscrapers. It looked like any huge downtown US city. Of course all the Asians speaking other languages would tip you off that its not quite the US. It was a very weird feeling to look like a minority. Singapore is a small island country. I also didn't know it is an island off of the coast of Malaysia. You could drive from one end to the other end of the country in 40 min. to 1 hour. And then imagine over 4 million people living there. It's a bit crowded.

4. The country of Singapore smells like a giant Chinese restaurant.

Not bad necessarily, just different.

5. There's no messing around in Singapore when it comes to drugs.

Before we got off of the plane we had to fill out an immigration form. The one side of it read," Warning: Death for Drug Traffickers According to Singapore Law."

6. Shopping is the national past-time of Singapore.

Singapore is one big shopping mall. As you walk around downtown, it's just mall after mall after mall. And big ones...500 stores each.

7. One could get a complex about your size when shopping in Singapore.

When surrounded by tiny Asian women whose legs are the size of my wrist, it can be a challenge to find anything that might fit. A medium in Singapore is a US size 4 or 6. Yeah....whatever.

8. Foodcourts can be different in a Singapore mall.

It's not too appetizing to see headless ducks skewered on polls hanging in the window of the restaurants in the foodcourt. And the smells.... All I can say is I felt like breaking into a rousing rendition of "God Bless America" when I came upon McDonald's. And yes, the next day for lunch I did eat at Long John Silvers. Note to self...Diet Coke here is called Coke Light. When we were walking through a mall one night, we came across an Auntie Annes! Here in Singapore...victory! Alas...the agony of defeat...pretzel flavors included nutty, almond, green tea, and that local favorite- seaweed.

9. The local Singapore paper is an interesting read.

Our hotel gave us a paper each morning which I enjoyed reading (by the pool)...I know, I lead a rough life as a professional tourist. Singaporeans are also interested in the presidential race in the states. It was noted that candidates were always referred to with their titles...Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama. There was another article about Condoleeza Rice on a 3 country Asian tour and always referred to her as Dr. Rice. Interesting. You know...there's a lot more going on in the world besides what's happening in the US. Again, my American view of the world is getting stretched. I also read an article about the world's Muslims. They had polled Muslims world-wide to see what shaped their views...religion or politics. The one statistic that stuck out to me was that only 7% of the world's 1.4 billion muslims felt that the 9/11 attack on the US was completely justified and the right thing to do. ONLY 7% ????...That's still a frightening large number! Yikes!

10. There's a variety of wealth living in Singapore.

On our last day there, we took a couple of bus tours through different parts of the city. Very interesting. We went through the kind of slummy areas of little India, Arabia, and Chinatown to the area where homes are sold for millions.

85% of the population lives in government housing. In order to qualify you either have to be starting a family (getting married) or be over the age of 35. Hence our tour guide said that Singapore has the largest annulment rate in the world...over 300%. As you can see in the picture below, most women hang their wash out to dry on poles that hang out of their windows.

11. Sentosa is fun!

Sentosa is a resort island off the coast of Singapore. It has resort hotels and beaches as well as a "theme park" to walk around. We went there on Tues. night for a laser light show and then again on Wed. night to walk around and go on some rides. The street luge ride was most fun! You climb into individual tobaggons and steer your way down a curvy road to the bottom of the hill. You then take a ski lift back up to the top of the mountain. Definitely the best part of the day. I'll post some pictures of Sentosa tomorrow since Phil is on the Skype (internet) phone with his dad and whenever I download pictures it messes up their connection. More tomorrow.

Our New Neighbor

2008-02-24T14:42:00.000+11:00

The other morning the Queen Victoria docked at the overseas terminal on the dock opposite of our apartment. The Queen Elizabeth II (QU II) docked at the Navy yard as well. Tonight at around 6:00 pm they will pass each other in Sydney Harbor and then the Queen Victoria will go out to sea while the QE II docks till tomorrow night. You would think it was actually Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth the way it is being hyped around here. You see gobs of people carrying all kinds of tripods and camera equipment to get the "best shot". There are signs posted all over the streets to direct people to the best viewing areas to see them pass each other. The crowds of people here in Circular Quay (where we live) have been huge. I present exhibit A. And now I give you...the Queen Victoria. It is definitely the biggest boat we've seen docked here in the harbor.

Saturday we hopped into the Jeep to drive around a bit...after a delicious breakfast at Pancakes-On-The-Rocks. Love those pancakes! We drove down to Paddington (a Sydney suburb) to go to the Paddington Bazaar, another open market of stalls that people sell...well, a bunch of junk. You'd think this is something Phil and I do all the time at home since this is the second Saturday in a row that we've done this...but no, it was just somewhere to go. The weather yesterday and today has been stunning (bright blue sky and lots of sunshine) so we wanted to go somewhere we could walk outside. We then drove over to the Watson's Bay area again to walk around the cliffs. We stumbled across a cricket match at this sports field on the top of one of the cliffs. Still quite a boring game...especially when seen in person and not just on tv. Phil says that any game that boys wear a straw hat to play is one for sissys. Still, a very pretty area.

This coming week will be a busy one. Phil and I leave for Singapore early Tuesday morning. We'll fly home overnight on Thursday. Not sure how much posts I'll well, post while we're gone, but I'll get you caught up when we return. Not sure what to expect in Singapore...I do know there is Long John Silver's there that I want to eat at. Yes, I know...seriously pathetic, but I'm serious when I say that I don't like to try new foods, especially of the Oriental variety. Too many bad smells and slimy looking "meats".

On Sunday, our friends Dave and Amy come down from the states for a week's vacation. Very excited about that! We haven't seen them in a couple of years so it should be a good time had by all.

Inside the Toaster

2008-02-22T15:30:00.000+11:00

Well, here you go folks...an inside look at our apartment in all of it's glory! The first picture is coming in from the hallway. Sorry it's a little dark, but you can get a glimpse of our great view. The whole wall there to the right is floor to ceiling mirrors. A wall o' mirrors, if you would. On the left wall is some "art"...really just a big squiggly line on a canvas.

The next picture as you walk into the apartment is of our "dining room". Check out the chairs...yep, they're plastic. I feel like I'm sitting on outdoor lawn furniture . We bought and constructed the little wooden computer desk from Ikea...very handy. The wall that the computer desk is next to is again...you guessed it...another wall o' mirrors.

The next picture is of our "living room". Yes, lots of brown and orange. We moved the couch and seats around to make more sense. When we first arrived the chairs were on either side of the tv facing outward. How in the world are you supposed to watch tv like that? (said the American who watches a lot of tv.)

The next picture is looking into our kitchen which is behind the couch. I'm still trying to figure out the oven. The dial to turn it on only has little pictures to tell you what the dial is set on. I know, it sounds easy (and I understand the picture of the fan) but what is the fan and the squiggly line? Just the squiggly line? The one tray? Both trays? One tray and the fan? Still working on it...and of course the temperature is only listed on that dial in Celsius. Still working on that conversion as well. Don't get me started about the dishwasher's pictures either. (The dishwasher is under the bar just to the left of the sink if you're in the kitchen. ) A pot on one tray? A bowl with two trays? A glass alongside a coffee mug? A wire bristle brush? A snowflake? Yeah...what? And yes, the whole back wall of the kitchen is yet again a wall o' mirrors.

If you walk back toward the door, make a right, go into a tiny hallway you're facing the bathroom. If you turn right before you go into the bathroom...there's our bedroom. Behind the wall o'curtain are floor to ceiling windows as well as a sliding glass door to get out onto the balcony. And yes...the whole wall behind the bed is a wall o' mirrors.

There you have it...life in the toaster.

Living in "The Toaster"

2008-02-21T13:53:00.000+11:00

I just realized (ok, Phil came up with the suggestion this morning) that you haven't seen where we live down here yet. Yes, we live in what's fondly, or not so fondly referred to as "The Toaster". When this apartment complex was built, most people ( or Sidneysiders, as people who live in Sydney are called...I know, what?) were totally against the construction. They felt like it cut off the Opera House and the Botanical Gardens (directly behind the buildings) from the rest of Sydney. And yes, I can see why people would call it a kitchen appliance. It does sort of remind you of a toaster. Here it is...our apartment circled in red, and yes, we really do live next to the Opera House. Cool, isn't it?

On the ground floor of the apartment complex are a bunch of shops, little restaurants, and a couple of small outdoor cafes. Ask Phil how his $8.00 piece of chocolate cake was from one of those outdoor cafes the other night. No wonder they didn't put the price on the menu.

The next picture is looking out from our little balcony. We have a great view of the Harbour Bridge from home sweet home. We plan to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks from it come December. Check out the dark clouds...drought? yeah right. If you look to North Sydney, right under the bridge you can see Luna Park. It's an amusement park. This is where Phil asked for a hotdog when he was down here awhile ago for business and he was handed a hot pink, nee magenta colored hot dog.

Looking straight ahead off of our balcony you can see the Contemporary Art Museum (the yellowish-orangish building). Being the patrons of contemporary art that we are (yes the reclining nude statue from our living room is still put away) I don't envision too many trips there. To the right of the museum is the area known as "The Rocks". If you remember from an earlier post, this is the oldest part of Sydney. The little white house there in the front-right of the picture is Cadman's Cottage, the oldest resdence in Sydney. The overseas cruise terminal is right in front of The Rocks. A big Celebrity Cruise Ship just left a day or so ago and now a smaller boat came in this afternoon. You can also see the many ferry boats coming and going from the ferry terminal just to the left of the picture. It's like living on Staten Island! (If I mentioned my Upper Peninsula of Michigan heritage in an earlier post, I most certainly can't leave out my Staten Island heritage too.)

Finally, the last picture is downtown Sydney. The ferry, train, and bus terminals are all right there so we can pretty much get anywhere in Sydney from the apartment. The yellowish stone building with the clock on the front is the Customs House building. It was built in 1885 and is on the place where supposedly the Union flag was first flown in Australia in 1788. (Yes, the handy guide book once again.) See the green canopy at the bottom of the picture? An aborigine sits there every day playing his digideroo for all the tourists. (and the opportunity to get your picture taken with him. Did I mention that you could buy his cds for $10?) Tomorrow I'll post pictures of the inside of our apartment in all of it's glory.

Busy Saturday

2008-02-18T13:13:00.000+11:00

On Saturday we finally got the car that the company is leasing for us while we're down here. We dropped off our rental and picked up our Jeep Wrangler. After a long lesson on how to remove the canvas top (complete with plenty of zipper tugging and even use of a small screwdriver) we took it home. The weather looked a bit iffy...what's new, so we walked over to the Rocks. Every Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 till 5:00 an outdoor market is set up for throngs of people to walk through. Literally, throngs.

As the morning progressed it looked like it would be ok, so we went back to the garage (or car park as they're called here) to get the Jeep. Ever try to put the canvas top of a Jeep down in a low ceiling'd garage? After much driving of the car back and forth between the pipes hanging from the ceiling, we were off.

We decided to drive over to Watson's Bay to walk around and have lunch. After driving just a short bit, we both agreed we would never be contestants together on "The Amazing Race". (I know, Kelly, a dream just died.) My map reading is apparently not quick enough. I may be right on which street to turn on (and I usually am) , I'm just a bit late on telling Phil to turn.

The drive was very nice. Many people had told Phil that if he had the chance to drive through the eastern suburbs, he should because it was very nice. At first, we had to disagree. It looked nothing special until we drove a bit. Then the houses became very nice. And the views...straight out over the harbor looking at the city skyline, Harbour Bridge, and Opera House. Very nice indeed.

We parked the Jeep and walked over to Doyles on the Beach. This was Australia's first seafood restaurant and opened in 1885. (Got to love my handy guide to Sydney book.) We didn't go in the restaurant...heard it was extremely over-priced for what you got, so we went to their little seafood stand right next door. Got some fantastic fish and chips. Yes, still a bit over-priced but boy, they were good.

After lunch we drove over to the other side of Watson's Bay (it's at the tip of a peninsula) and walked along the cliffs looking out over the Pacific Ocean (actually, I think its called the Tasmanian Sea.) Very pretty, isn't it?

After walking around a bit, we jumped back in the Jeep and drove it south to take a look at Bondi Beach. It's 1/2 mile (or 1km) of white sand known for big waves so it's popular with surfers. We saved actually getting out for another day.

After returning to the apartment, we ended the day by walking over to the Rocks for dinner at our new favorite restaurant...Pancakes-On-The-Rocks. Yes...you can get a plate of fluffy buttermilk pancakes for about $8.00. Yes, you're cringing at the price back home, but a cheap meal here! Mm, Mm, Mm, very tasty. Of course you can get "real" meals or crepes if you want, but nothing says tasty like a plate of butter-slathered pancakes. (minus the syrup, of course). A good day..except for the sun burn on my face. No, mom, Karen, and Jared, I forgot to put on sunscreen. Yes, I realize that isn't good. Yes, I realize I now look like a raccoon because I was wearing my sunglasses. No, I won't forget to put it on in the future.

Pasty in Australia!

2008-02-15T20:32:00.000+11:00

Tonight Phil and I walked over to Woolloomooloo (try saying that 5 times fast) an area of Sydney that is on the other side of the Botanical Gardens for dinner. We went to Harry's Cafe De Wheels. This is a food van which began as a pie cart in the 1940's serving "pie floaters" (meat pies and mashed peas.)
It is a big tourist stop now that whenever celebrities are in town, they go there and get their picture taken ordering food. A lot of celebrity photo frames are nailed on the outer walls so you can see whose been there. Phil bought a meat pie and I had a pasty. For those not of Upper Peninsula of Michigan descent, a pasty is a pie filled with meat, potatoes, carrots, and perhaps rutabaga, that is usually eaten with ketchup. Mine didn't have ketchup and also included peas and gravy inside, but it wasn't bad. Not mom's, but not bad.
Harry's is right near the navy base here in Sydney so I also added a picture. We had a great time walking along the Botanical Gardens all the way back to the Opera House and then home.

An Ode to Australia's Greatest Invention

2008-02-14T10:29:00.001+11:00

As mentioned in a previous post, last Friday night we took the train to Olympic Park to hear a free outdoor concert that they have there every Friday night during the summer. We brought a blanket to spread out on, but did not anticipate the grass being a bit wet from the previous day's rain. Lo and behold (thanks Jess for the catchy phrase) we noticed they were selling (for $8) the holy grail for anyone tired of holding themselves up in a sitting position. I give you....the Bum Box. Check out their website: thebumbox.com.au (and I did not pay $8...the guy behind the counter took pity on the pathetic Yank with wet stains on her jeans and just gave it to me. ) And now...an ode to a truly wonderous invention!

When I'm in pain and can sit no more

and my back and bum feel very sore.

I pull you out and promptly sit.

My Bum Box is a perfect fit!

You can support 120 kilograms.

That's me or Phil plus a bag of yams.

We plan to take you everywhere

because we came and brought no chair.

You fold up flat when we are done

and provide us with a lot of fun.

Woe to those who go without

a Bum Box...they will truly pout!

The United States vs. Australia

2008-02-13T11:43:00.000+11:00

Some more differences that I've noticed while working hard at my new job of "Professional Tourist".

1. All the outlets here have an on/off switch that you have to push before anything that is plugged in will work. Phil says it has to do with the I don't know, 200 and something volts waiting to be used. Something about an electric shock that you wouldn't wake up from...

2. When waiting to cross the city streets, you hear a clicking sound that as soon as the WALK symbol appears turns into...the best way to desribe it is the sound of an old Atari game space ship sound that beeps very quickly. You don't even have to look for the walk/do not walk symbols...just listen for the space ship sound.

3. When meeting people they ask you, "How are you going?" They don't really mean how you are going, such as by car or bus. They mean, "How are you doing?" Luckily, no embarrassing moments to report there. Although did hear a funny story when the Chinese husband of one of the tax people that Phil works with mentioned that when he first came here he always responded "by bus" until he learned what they were actually asking him.

4. When you see "capsicum" on a menu, that means red or green bell peppers. Where in the world did they find the word, capsicum?

5. Restaurants do not put ice in drinks here. For those who know me...this is a grave matter. I like my glasses practically filled to the top with ice. I've had to learn to suffer through luke warm glasses of water. (I cannot drink my Diet Coke with no ice. It's just not the same. Sigh.)

6. Only in Australia will you find people walking down the city sidewalk with a surfboard under their arm.

7. Not only do people drive on the left side of the road, they also walk on the left side of the sidewalk and stair cases. I never noticed before that we tend to walk on the right until now, when I constantly find myself suddenly veering to the left in order to avoid a head-on collision.

8. Only in Australia will you find people on a bicycle peddaling furiously in full cycling gear right next to a busy highway.

9. At a restaurant, they don't have "to go". It's called "take away".

10. I would say after much time of people watching...after all, a professional tourist has plenty of time to do that...that when you see a young family walking past, 8 out of 10 times you will see the man with the diaper bag (or nappie bag) slung on his shoulder pushing the stroller (or pram as they're called here). I'm not sure why that struck me, but I guess back home I usually see it the other way around.

Finally, a most Happy Birthday goes out to Mom! It's the 13th here but the 12th there. Happy Birthday! Wish we were there, but see you in March! Love you.

Taronga Zoo and Australian Hospitality

2008-02-10T23:02:00.000+11:00

On Saturday we decided to take the ferry boat over to the Taronga Zoo, Sydney's zoo because "after a short shower at 10:00 am it is supposed to be fairly sunny until the evening when we may experience another short shower." Hm....not so. It did start to rain at 10:00 am but did not let up for the rest of the afternoon. Lovely. But the zoo was a nice trip anyway. When the ferry dropped us off, we took a cable car (like what you'd find at a ski resort) up to the top of the mountain to enter the zoo. Saw lots of animals as the pictures above show...

This morning (Sunday) we went to a church we passed on the way to one of our trips to Ikea. The people were very friendly and an older couple invited us over to their home for lunch. A very interesting and fun afternoon! Learned about their role in promoting Christian concerts all over Australia as well as finding out that the man was in charge of organizing all of the transporation for the artists for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Olympics....Karen, I know you're jealous!

After leaving their home we went over to Hillsong for their evening service. Very good! The couple that Phil met several months ago invited us to sit with them, go out for coffee after the service and then go out to dinner with them after that. Quite the long day! I even branched out, was brave and tried Vietnamese food for dinner. Not sure if I'll try it again.

You hear a lot about "community" in church and that we should be looking for opportunities to build into other people's lives, or be "intentionally intrusive" in people's lives as our sunday school teacher is fond of saying. I can say that at both churches we attended today, we met people who take that as a personal charge. A truly good day.

The Rocks

2008-02-08T15:07:00.000+11:00

Yesterday and this morning I walked over to The Rocks. I had to make it a two day trip because yet again, the sky opened up yesterday afternoon and it poured. Again. If I hear one more person talk about the drought in Australia....The Rocks is "the site of the first white settlement in Australia." January 26, 1788 to be exact. (Yes, I'm copying out of my Sydney guide book again.) There are still some cobblestone streets and older looking buildings in the area.

Today there are plenty of shops, restaurants and art galleries that call The Rocks home. The first picture is a row of buildings called Campbell's Storehouses, named after Australia's first waterfront entrepeneur, Robert Campbell. He bought that land in 1799 and then 40 years later, built those buildings. Today they are restaurants. And no, nothing looked good to me from their menus. Yeah, I know, I'm too picky.

The third picture is Cadman's Cottage. It is the oldest residence in Australia (built in 1815). Tonight we're off to Olympic Park for "Music by Moonlight". Every Friday night there is a free concert in the park. Tonight is "From Broadway to the West End" Ah...musicals. Phil will be thrilled.

Finally, a big Happy 8th Birthday to Josh and Zach! I know your birthdays are on the 8th, but since it's the 8th here....Happy Birthday. Have a great party on Saturday and we wish we were there.

The Royal Botanical Gardens

2008-02-07T09:27:00.000+11:00

In celebration of my first day of sunshine I wandered over to the Royal Botanical Gardens yesterday. This 75 acre (30 hectares....I know, what?) park is where the first farm was when colonists came over from England. Yes, I am copying that from my handy Sydney guide book. I really didn't know that. It was very pretty. Lots of flowers, palm trees, manicured lawns, ponds, even a cactus garden. As I soon found out, it is also home to a "wonderful array of Australian wildlife including fruit bats". Yes, bats. And not the small kind from home. These babies have wing spans of at least two feet. Lovely. If you all remember my last experience with a bat (flying around my living room) you know that I'm not fond of them. At all.

Once I walked more towards the harbor, I enjoyed the park even more. Great views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge as well as the Navy yard. I took some pictures, and yes, those are bats hanging in the tops of the trees of the first picture.

Pictures from Olympic Park

2008-02-06T09:02:00.001+11:00

Karen, I know you've been waiting to see these. I think, finally, I've figured out how to attach pictures. The first one is me at the Olympic Park sign. The next two are inside the Aquatic Center. When they built it for the Olympics, they also built a smaller pool along with a slide and toddler pools because they wanted to be able to make much use out of it after the Olympics were over. There was a swim club swim meet going on while we were there.For $6 you can also come and swim for the day. The next two pictures are of Telstra Stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies were held.

Oh...and by the way, there IS an Outback Steakhouse in Australia! We went there for dinner last night. Well I'm off to the park to enjoy the sunshine (finally). Although I saw on the news last night that it's supposed to rain Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat, and Sun. Oh joy.

This is just to add back the picture from post #2...

2008-02-06T08:17:00.000+11:00

Getting Out There

2008-02-05T15:50:00.000+11:00

I've made my first venture out into the city. (I'm not counting last night when I walked to Phil's office to meet him for dinner and got lost and had to look at my street map three times to figure out where I was...can we just smack a tourist sticker on my forehead?) To celebrate my first day here without rain...yes, it's still overcast but at least it's not pouring rain,I walked to Phil's office (no need for the map, thank you very much) and met him for lunch. As we walked around the food court, I foresaw a lot of fish and chips in my future.
For those who know me best, I generally do not deviate from my list of foods that I know that I like. I do not experiment. I do not try new things.
Australia has a lot of new things. I did decide on the fish and chips (which is included on my list of foods I like). Phil got a Portuegese chicken sandwich on Turkish bread. As you can see...trying new things when it comes to food is one way in which we differ.
After lunch, Phil went back to work and I went out on my own. After much investigation on the internet, I discovered a Christian book store, can you believe it, one block down from where his office is???!!! Again, for those who know me best, I officially list reading as one of my hobbies. I checked it out. Food is not the only thing that is expensive in Australia.
Books that I can get at CBD back home for anywhere from $7 to $10 cost close to $20 here. BUT...I did find one for $5.80 that just happened to be one that I had seen before and wanted to read. My first experience with using Australian money. I used my $2 coins and had no problems to report. (Yes, Phil paid for my lunch because it was very crowded, people everywhere and I didn't want to fumble around in my purse. ) And who, by the way, charges 20 cents for each ketchup packet (or tomato sauce) as its called here??
After leaving the bookstore I slipped on my IPod and walked the streets of Sydney listening to Jeremy Camp. (a collective sigh is heard from the DAGS near and far) Nothing like it! Listening to the words..."Because I can rest my hope in You. 'Cause everywhere I go, I know You're not far away. I know that You're here...You're right here. Jesus, You're right here." How true. The God of Langhorne, PA is also the God of Sydney, Australia. That is a great thought!
Before I go...I've just been informed that Sox, our dog now has his own blog. Check out www.missingmysox.blogspot.com for the latest news. Although you who know him already know his latest news...eating, sleeping, playing with his ball, more sleeping...

Getting Settled In

2008-02-03T20:48:00.000+11:00

Well, things are looking much better after some needed sleep...although yes, still waking up at 4:00 am or so, but at least we're going back to sleep. We went to the Olympic Park yesterday and had a great time. It was so cool to walk the grounds. We got into Telstra Stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies were held. They were having some big Fan Day for a bunch of different rugby teams so we slipped in and took some pictures. (Yes, I still have to figure out how to post them.) Now rugby is interesting...I was watching a match on tv (not sure what they call it) and was trying to figure out the rules. A guy has the ball and is pretty much tackled to the ground but if he can throw the ball to another teamate, play continues down the field. Strange...but not as strange as cricket. Watched a bit of it on tv as well. Cannot figure that one out at all.
Speaking of tv. Phil found out that they are showing the SuperBowl tomorrow at 10:00 am (Monday) Whoo hoo...we bought some chips and salsa and American hotdogs (the ones that are not a sickening bright pink) for the game. He's coming home from work in the middle of the day and we'll pretend we're back in the good ole' USA watching the game.

Observations on the flight and my first day in Australia

2008-02-02T06:46:00.000+11:00

1. I really like flying business class
All I can say is that was one long day of flying. I have never been on a plane for so long. The perks of business class included a seat that reclined fully flat, a suprisingly good filet of beef dinner (using real plates and glasses!) and a snack bar that was open during the whole flight t so that we could help ourselves whenever we wanted a snack or drink. The snack container of Pringles was especially good while watching "You've Got Mail" on my entertainment screen at my seat.

2. I'm really not going to like flying in coach when I come back in March.
My neck is anticipating the permanent crick as I imagine sleeping straight up and down with my neck flopping side to side.

3. It's really weird to sit in the front of a car on the left side and not be driving.
Phil is great at driving on the right side of the car while being in the left lanes. As we traveled along to our apartment building from the airport, I felt very confused as to where cars were turning and how I will possibly learn how to do it. I have visions of creating the biggest traffic jam Sydney has ever seen once I try it. I'm not really anxious to begin learning how...I figure I'll start my exploring on foot for now.

4. Our apartment looks...interesting.
Picture a lot of mirrors everywhere, lots of brown and orange, very modern everything. (Sorry Taylor and Jessica...the couch is brown, not yellow. An improvement!) Our table has clear plastic chairs and modern "art" here and there. (and yes, the recling nude statue on the table below our tv is going to be put away for our stay here.) Did you know that instead of handles, toilets in Australia have two buttons to push- one for a full flush and one for a half flush? Interesting idea. The whole wall in our family room (read kitchen, living area, and dining area all in one) is one big window (that opens up into a small balcony) with a terrific view of the Harbour bridge and the ferry terminals. Once I figure out how to post pictures, I'll put some up.

5. The Opera House looks a lot bigger when you're staring up at it from the steps surrounding it.
Last night we walked over to it (it's right next door!) and walked around. We picked up a schedule of events for the month of February. It's not just opera...they have concerts, plays, and dance there as well. Nothing looked too good. Not even the Glenn Campbell concert. (Sorry, Kelly) :) Maybe next month.

6. Everything is expensive here.
While walking around last night we stopped at Baskin Robbins (yeah, another taste of home) for a snack. Would you believe $4.80 for a single scoop ice cream cone? Yikes!

7. This is really different from home. Sigh.
I'm doing ok, but am having a tougher time being away from home then I thought I would. I've broken down several times since we've left. Over my chicken sandwich at the Burger King in the Philly airport before our flight (thinking of Sox). {An aside-Burger King over here is called Hungy Jack's"} Curious thought- are all my references to home about food? Listening to our first voice mail on our phone here from our pastor back home. Reading the book our Sunday School class wrote us during our "Not Farewell but Happy Travels" party. Sitting in a food court here not seeing anything that looks familiar. Even now as I type. I know things will get better (I'm sure lack of sleep is playing a part) but I just need to take things one day at a time.

Today we plan on going to Ikea to get some stuff for the apartment and then driving over to Olympic Park to check out where the 2000 Olympics were held. (Karen, I know you're jealous!) I'll take some pictures and then see if I can figure out how to post them here.

Ok, I'll add a post!

2008-01-31T03:14:00.000+11:00

After many conversations this week that went something like..."When are you ever going to write on your blog?" or "You'll never write anything on your blog." (Rob) and after I reminded people that we weren't in Australia yet so how can I write about it, I have broken down and decided to write my first post today, the morning we leave. I cannot believe we leave today. We're all packed up, have said our not-goodbyes but I'll see you in March, and are waiting for my father-in-law to take us to the airport. (Is it a bad sign that I just typed in hospital without thinking and had to delete it to write airport or am I just that tired?)
I'm not looking forward to the flights (hello Toronto, Vancouver, and then Sydney) but am glad that the company is flying us in business class. My first time. Ah...how the other half lives. But I can't get too comfortable because when I come back in March I am once again relegated to the cattle-car, er, coach section of the plane for my return trip. Nothing like 21 hours in a seat that "reclines".