Day 15: Happy New Years!

Hunter and Chris prepared a tremendous surprise for us for New Years Eve – they managed to rent a yacht (a 41 footer) for the 15 of us, so that we could sail out into the harbor and watch the fireworks! Since a lot of the fireworks are shot off from right near the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the bridge itself, the harbor is one of the best positions to watch it from. Apparently Sting thinks so – he was out in the harbor with us, although on a pricier boat, at 35K for the night!

Having the boat was really nice since we didn’t have to worry about the crowds on shore, and could cook our own food during the evening rather than having to survive off of junk food all night (which is apparently what most people did, from the looks of the grocery bags I saw them carrying to the harbor). Plus we could supply our own tunes, not worry about losing stuff in the crowds, and even got to sleep on board.

The fireworks themselves were spectacular – not only were they shot off barges and the bridge, but also off about 10 buildings in downtown! And there were at least 4 other sites up and down the harbor that were running the same set of fireworks in unison, so you could see the blasts across your entire field of vision. And the sound across the water was just stunning.

Unfortunately I forgot to charge my camera battery before the evening started, so I didn’t take many shots, but I don’t think any of them would’ve worked anyways. I can’t wait until Hunter gets his shots developed! Those that I got are in the Sydney album.

Day 13-14: Sydney

We’ve spent the last couple days walking around Sydney exploring with Hunter, Farnaz, and Kendra. They’ve been really generous (again) and let us crash in their room at the Sydney Marriott, which has a nice pool, hot tub, and sauna, plus access to the executive lounge, featuring complimentary breakfast and evening snacks and drinks! So we’ve been living it up for a few days, walking around town and meeting up with various friends, including Hunter’s cousin Aaron.

Sydney is definitely beautiful, wrapped around an enormous harbor like it is, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of soul to it. Tons of shopping (the girls have been having a blast window shopping, and Farnaz and Kendra were doing some Christmas shopping as well) all throughout the city center, but you have to go a long ways to get into neighborhoods that have more of a feel to them.

Days 12-14: Lennox Head

We’ve spent the last 3 days in Lennox Head, a small beachside town about 2 hours south of Brisbane (and 6 hours north of Sydney), which is where Chris’s parents live. Their house is right on the beach, and they’re avid surfers, so Hunter and I had a chance to take their boards out for a while. We’ve also spent a long time on the beach, swimming, and relaxing. Chris’s boyfriend Karthik joined us, plus Karthik’s brother Kesh, and Chris’s brother John and his fiancé, which has turned our crew into a gang!

We had a great dinner at Chris’s parent’s house one evening, with lots of freshly grilled fish and lamb, then a spectacular Thai dinner the next evening – despite all the walking and swimming, I need to be careful about putting on weight!

Hanging out with the crew has been great – Hunter, Farnaz, and Kendra are a blast to hang out with, and incredibly generous. Mary had met Hunter once previously, but otherwise this is a new group for us, and we’re very lucky to have them as travel companions. They all live in LA so we’ll get to hang out with them more when we return, although Hunter be back in Iraq doing reconstruction work by that time.

Day 11: Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone (sorry this is posted rather late, internet access has been scarce). We’ve had a lazy day and explored the rest of Cairns, which took about an hour. Cairns is 90 degrees and humid, which is not quite the Christmas weather we’re used to!

Day 10: Great Barrier Reef

We woke up far too early, given the amount of wine consumed yesterday and the lateness of our flight, headed down the harbor, and hopped on the SilverSwift Catamaran out to the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. Luckily we were able to get another hour of sleep on the boat, and were a bit better rested by the time we arrived on site. The reef was spectacular – water temperature was in the high seventies, you could see to a depth of about 30 meters pretty clearly, the coral was spectacular, and there were tons of fish around. We saw a ton of different species; highlights for me were the turtles, a 3 foot long clam, listening to a parrot fish munch on the coral from a foot away, and the bright blue staghorn coral. We didn't take any underwater photos (I think Hunter will have some available later), but our photos from the surface are available on Picasa.

Cairns is a small town; you can walk from one end to the other in 30 minutes. Everything is built around tourists and supporting the tourist industry. Besides the obvious diving, there are also a large number of tours out into the rainforest, plus a wide range of adventure sports. We decided to only to the snorkeling, since we had limited time (and money) and were pretty worn out from rushing all the way through Melbourne.

Australia is incredibly expensive. It’s hard to find restaurants with food for under $12 per person, and $25+ is more common. Supermarkets are hard to find, and the food there isn’t that much cheaper sadly. Lodging is expensive too – even hostels can run around $90 per night for a double (this is largely due to it being the high season).

Day 9: Nobu and Wine Tasting

This day is going down in the history books as one of the best ever. Mary and I went for an early morning run along the bay in Lorne, which was spectacularly beautiful. All the Australian teenagers were learning how to become lifeguards, and the water was full of surfers. Afterwards Chris, Mary, and I all got back into the car and headed back to Melbourne; Kendra and Farnaz took off horribly early in the morning to catch an early flight to Cairns, so we were back to the reduced crew.

We stopped in Melbourne to get directions out to the wineries in the Yarra Valley and to eat lunch at Nobu. Yes, the same Nobu as the ones in Manhattan and LA, but at much reduced prices (without a similar reduction in quality). Kendra and Farnaz ate dinner there a few days ago and gave it glowing reviews, so we decided to swing by, since it may be a long time before we can afford a meal at the other locations. The food was excellent: we started out with a Yellowfin tartar and a set of Lobster, Crab, Tuna, and Salmon mini-tacos, and then split lunch meals of sushi and sashimi and a bento box. Aside from less then great service, it was a superb lunch.

After lunch we went out to the Yarra Valley, which is home to 55 wineries and beautiful scenery. We didn’t have as much time as we planned on due to a late lunch and so we ended up just hitting Yarra Station and Giant Steps wineries, but had a very nice sampling of wine at each, and learned a lot. The Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander winery was particularly nice, with a very friendly man explaining (and giving us samples of) almost every wine they’d ever produced. We took some scenic back roads from the Yarra Valley (Chris was a very generous designated driver) to the airport and hopped on an uncomfortable flight to Cairns.

Day 8: Great Ocean Road Continued

Well, the hype about the Great Ocean Road is well deserved. We drove most of the rest of it today, and despite the continued rain, were amazed by all the sights. Chris, Mary, and I drove out past Apollo Bay and onwards; Hunter had to return to Melbourne today to meet up with other friends, so Kendra and Farnaz drove him back to Geelong where he could catch a train, then drove part of the road themselves.

We first stopped for a walk in the Otway Forest, which took us into the rainforest along a very well designed path. It’s incredible that we’re only a couple hours away from Melbourne, which feels somewhat like a desert (similar to LA), and were suddenly in the midst of ferns and beech trees, with small streams everywhere. The weather while were there left no doubt that these trees got plenty of rain!

Just a bit further down the road were the 12 Apostles, a collection of limestone pillars along the coast, where the coast has been carved out around some 150 foot tall towers of rock. The rain was really coming down when we arrived, so we ran out to the lookout point (about ¼ mile) where we could hide behind a low stone wall and be somewhat protected from the wind while we took some pictures and looked at everything. There are only 8 apostles left at this point, due to continuing erosion by the sea – given the 15+ foot waves we saw, it’s incredible any are left. My camera got a bit wet while I attempted to take some shots, but Chris got in some great pictures. Luckily my camera has recovered entirely!

We also went to see the London Arch (it used to be the London Bridge…), Loch Ard Gorge, the Grotto, the Blowhole, Thunder Cave, the Gibson Steps, and several of the other amazing formations along the road. The weather cooperated more at all of the other sites luckily and we were able to go down to the beaches at many of the sites and see the rocks from sea level. Words can’t really do justice to these rocks – see both our and Chis’ photos for a sampling of what we saw.

Day 7: Welcome to the Great Ocean Road

We are doing this right! This morning we met up with Chris, Hunter, Kendra, and Farnaz, and hopped into a pair of silver Saab 9-3 convertibles and took off down the Great Ocean Road. (Hunter has taken care of reservations, and has done so with style.)

The weather as we drove out of Melbourne was beautiful, lots of sunshine, and became slightly rainy along the coast. Very bravely we kept the tops of our convertibles down the whole way. If you drive fast enough, the rain does not touch you....

The Great Ocean Road is very reminiscent of the Pacific Coast Highway in California; a drop-off inches from the side of the car, leading down to a rocky beach, with breathtaking vistas around every corner. Chris and Hunter did a great job driving through the rain (and occasional rockslides, floods, and ducks), while the rest of us ooohed and aaahed (and sometimes gasped).

We checked in to an incredible 3 bedroom condo in Lorne (props to Hunter again). Lorne is a small town with a large number of cafes. We had a fantastic lunch at a cafe which served us sandwiches built for two. Those plus some great coffees (chai for Mary) gave us the strength to carry on with our journey.

First stop was at the Split Point Lighthouse, which has a great outlook onto a solitary outcrop, in addition to the lighthouse itself. Then back out onto the road and down to Apollo Bay, with stops at every scenic overlook along the way. After a couple hours of driving, we needed a break, so we had four desserts (Marz Attacks, Chocolate Mousse, Caramel Squares, and Triple Bailey’s Cream) and some more coffee in Apollo Bay.

To finish off the awesome day, we stopped by the supermarket, picked up a couple racks of lamb, potatoes, and asparagus (plus several bottles of wine) and Chris cooked us up a feast. That plus the remains of our dessert from Apollo put us over the top, and we called it a day.

Pictures

Hunter's Pictures

Days 3-5: Melbourne

We've continued to explore Melbourne for the last few days, hitting both of the National Galleries (which were very good), the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Yarra River, and a variety of other spots. Today (the 20th) our friend Chris arrived in town and we met up with him, as well as his friend Hunter, and two of Hunters friends. We hit up the town a bit, checking out some of bars and clubs for which Melbourne is also known. We've also gotten to know a few other people at the hostel, including a very nice Swedish couple whom we've run into several times all across town.

I've added some more photos to the Picasa album, although we haven't been quite as good at remembering to use the camera as we were the first day. Hunter turns out to be a major photo buff, so he'll be taking a lot of the photos over the next couple days, as we drive down the Great Ocean Road to Lorne and back.

Day 2: Melbourne

After a late start today, we decided to shop for provisions, to avoid the terribly high cost of food in restaurants here. Mary found a nice supermarket on her run, so we walked back up there and stocked up. We decided to skip the museums today, since it was already late and we had plans to meet up with my former coworker James (from Permabit) for dinner. So we walked through Fitzroy, which is an artsy part of town (somewhat like SoHo), Carlton (Cambridge meets the North End, as James put it), and Brunswick on the way to James’. We walked for a good 6 hours again today, which suggests that we've put in at least 30 miles already -- we need a pedometer!

We’ve been plagued by black flies here in Melbourne and today decided that they seemed to be particularly drawn in by the daypack we were carrying with us. The flies seem to be everywhere, and have made it difficult to enjoy some of the parks, where they’re even more concentrated. A quick stop at a laundry-mat seems to have alleviated the problem somewhat – we must have spilled something particularly good smelling (to a fly). The constant swatting of flies from the face is the Melbourne salute apparently.

Dinner with James, Anna, and their houseguest was superb; it was so nice to see James again, and they treated us to a great dinner. Sadly we missed seeing much of their son Daniel, since it was his bedtime by the time we arrived. We learned a lot of history about the area they lived in (formerly a mining town, now a very nice inner suburb, within biking range of downtown), Australia, and even some about New Zealand from their guest. Dinner was amazing (I know I already mentioned it, but it bears repeating), it felt like our first real meal in ages (4 days, in reality). Anna also gave us a great rundown on what to see in Melbourne -- nothing beats a local guide!

Day 1: Melbourne

Well, we love Melbourne. We’ve been here for a day and we’ve decided that we could live here. The job situation for Mary might be rather difficult though; we’ll have to see what’s available. Melbourne is a great walking city, with tons of parks, good sidewalks, frequent and accessible public transportation, and small enough to cover by foot in a reasonable amount of time. Plus there are huge bike lanes – at least 3 times the width of the things Boston calls bike lanes.

We arrived in Melbourne at 11:30, very well rested and refreshed after what seemed to be a much shorter flight than the 14 hours it was. The $1200 extra it cost for business class for all of our flights looks to be a great investment. We were wined, dined, and then put to sleep on nearly horizontal chairs; the experience starts to go to your head pretty fast, as you quickly start wondering how anyone travels economy for such long flights.

The entire flight was uneventful, except for when the lady in front of us in the inspection line for transferring Sidney to Melbourne was told she’d have to throw away $500 in perfume she’d just bought since she was over her total liquid allowance. Oh, and the guy who was in my seat (during the Philly to LA flight) and refused to move (and was rude about it) – the stewardess straightened him out.

We took a cab from the airport to our hostel (no great public transportation options from the airport), checked right into our room, cleaned up, and went out walking. We did a loop around the Central Business District (downtown), probably 6 miles or so, and hit a lot of the major parks, plus got a feel for the layout of the city. Tomorrow will probably be a museum day – they were closing when we arrived today. We’ll probably crash early tonight, between some small amount of jet lag, plus being tired from all of our walking.

Our photos from today are on Picasa.

We're off (almost)!

The trip has begun! We flew out of Philadelphia this morning (luckily not Boston!) and have now
arrived in LA, where we are laying-over for a tedious 8 hours before the next leg of our flight, onward to Melbourne, Australia. Luckily I found a cheap shuttle that took us to Westwood (near UCLA), where we've found good cheap sushi, free wireless, and a place to get some exercise; what more could some weary travelers want? We'll laze around here for a few more hours then head back to the airport.

For those of you for whom I haven't bored to death with talking about the trip, the itinerary is roughly as follows:

1. Australia
2. New Zealand
3. Indonesia
4. Singapore
5. Malaysia
6. Thailand
7. Cambodia
8. Vietnam
9. Hong Kong
10. China
11. Japan

We're trying to fit all of that into 6 months, at which time we'll be moving out here to LA. The trip isn't planned in much detail beyond New Zealand; we'll play it by ear starting then. I know we won't have nearly enough time in some (many) of the countries we'll be visiting, but we're hoping to at least get a pretty good introduction to all of them.

I don't know how often we'll be blogging, but I'm aiming for at least once a week. We'll see how that turns out!