Hello USA!!

Travis and I have flown back to the US for a visit, and I'm so excited to be back!  I'm so happy to be home.  We are in Vegas for a few days to visit Travis's family and go to  to UNLV v. UNR football game.  Then, I am headed to Richmond for a couple weeks.  I'm looking forward to catching up with everybody.  

You don't realize how much you miss everyone until you're away for awhile...  So, I will write a bit when I get back.  Hope everyone has a good week!

The Toilet Swirls the Other Direction

So, let's see what else is a little backwards from what we are used to in the US.

1. Aussies drive on the left side of the road in right-hand drive cars.  It's like learning to drive all over again!  Plus, I have a manual shift.  The stick, clutch, and gas/break pedals are exactly where they are for us, but you are on the opposite side of the car.  So, 1st gear is away from you.  It's a wonder I have gears left.  Luckily, I rented an automatic for the 1st couple weeks.
   
2. The seasons are opposite to ours.  I am entering Spring now, and the pollen is beginning to fall on the cars.  Let's hope I'm not allergic to the foliage here.  So far so good...
3. Aussies have no clue what Pay-At-The-Pump means.  I'm so spoiled by just swiping my card that I stared at the pump for a couple minutes the first time I had to pump my "petrol" here.  I couldn't remember what to do!  Then I had this duh moment... try walking inside to pay the guy.
4. More often than not, I find that sinks have separate hot and cold water faucets!  Washing dishes can be a touchy business with scalding water ready to burn my delicate fingers.  Plus, there aren't many dishwashers either.  Thus the reason I'm burning my hands to clean dishes.  I should really invest in paper plates!
5. I've noticed that the doors to enter stores and restaurants say PUSH to enter and PULL to exit, which continues to throw me off.  I occasionally smash into the door on the way out of the office.  The receptionist gets a giggle out of it.
6. This one is just a term, but I always laugh when someone says this.  Instead of asking for a hug, the women tend to say "I need a cuddle."  I'm thinking, "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?"  I don't cuddle with just anyone, now.  Then you realize, it's just a hug.
7. Americans are called Yanks, and they call the US dollar a Greenback.  Of course, I know that term, but I don't normally hear Americans call it that anymore.
8. And yes, the toilets flush the other direction.

Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos

I must admit that Sydney is home to many beautiful birds from the Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos to King Parrots, Magpies, Rainbow Lorikeets, and Kookaburras.  All the birds are very beautiful until they open their beaks.  These are some of the loudest birds I've ever heard.  I could sometimes get cranky when the birds at home woke me up on a lazy Saturday morning, but I had no idea what I was about to face coming here.  There is NO MORE sleeping in on the weekends because these lovely birds will wake you up with their cackling and heckling at ungodly hours.

Take a listen to some of the sounds under the Top 40 Birdsongs.  The kookaburra is the best one.  It sounds like the jungle birds you hear in the movies.  (Link to Aussie Bird site)

Here are some pics of the Cockatoos.  I took these at a friend's house.  She was feeding them bread.  (Link to PicasaWeb)

Here, There, and Yon

Throughout the last few months, I have taken some random photos around town, funny signs or areas we have walked through.  With the harbour as a backdrop, it's hard not to have a great shot wherever you go.  I've tried to put comments or captions on most of the photos to explain some of the randomness instead of blogging about it, especially the outhouse...

(Link to PicasaWeb)

It's the Simple Things in Life

I call this game 'Rocks in a Can.'

I may have mentioned how Sydney is a bit industrial, many warehouses and what not, and usually there are factory workers sitting out for their union-mandated lunch period. As I was walking to get a sandwich today, I heard this clank as if a metal can were dropped on the pavement or something. When I looked over, I noticed a group of guys on their lunch break cheering on another bloke. As it turned out, the lone bloke was standing behind a made up line throwing rocks at a can! (I got a bit of a chuckle out of it.)

Most likely the objective was to get as many rocks in as possible, and no doubt with Oz being a betting culture, there was surely some cash on the game. Anyway, I just started thinking how simply creative people can be and how easily entertained some are. In my normal rush, rush, rush during the week, I have to remember to stop and smell the roses occasionally, or maybe I will just throw a few rocks at a can...

Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach is probably the best known beach in the Sydney area. It is certainly the hip place to be and be seen for the Sydneysiders. I think there is even a naked surf competition there in January. I doubt I will attend, but it is certainly the place of the bodies beautiful most of the time.

Recently, Travis's friend Rutger ran in the City to Surf 14k race that starts in the Sydney CBD and ends at Bondi Beach. So, Travis and I met him there to cheer him in the final few meters and celebrate for lunch and a beer afterwards. There were close to 80,000 people in the race, and this is the first in 11 years that an Aussie won the race. After we finished lunch, there was a big storm rolling in, and I took a couple shots. (Link to PicasaWeb)

Manly to Spit Bridge Walk

I have to admit that it's so easy to do outdoors-y things in and around the city.  Travis and I spent an afternoon enjoying the views along the walk from Manly to the Spit Bridge.  It was a great day to wander because I wasn't able to find a good map.  So, we only had a general idea of where to go, but with the public trasport as well established as it is, you can find your way home easily enough.  (Link to VisitNSW website)

We took a train to Circular Quay.  Then, you can enjoy a leisurely ferry ride to Manly.  When you arrive, just turn left and follow the path along the water.  Apparently, this walk allows some of the best views of the harbour area.  I think these pics turned out ok.  After a couple hours, you come out at this big bridge, and we figured this must be it.  I have yet to uncover why it's called the Spit Bridge though.  Needless to say, there was a bus stop on the bridge that takes you right back into the city.  

My one recommendation for anyone who visits and wants to do the walk, PACK A LUNCH!  We had the lazy thought that there would certainly be food places to stop for a bite.  Au contraire, mon frere!  There is the path, parks and neighborhoods the entire way.  Luckily, we unearthed a great fish shop at the end of the walk.  It was sort of hole in the wall from the outside, but it had a great view and even better food.  All in all, a great way to spend an afternoon.

(Link to PicasaWeb)

Wentworth Falls, Blue Mountains

Here are a couple pics from a quick day trip to Wentworth Falls.  Travis's cousin Coe visited while on business, and we were more than happy to catch up with him when he wanted to get of town for a bit.

By the way, you won't see the actual falls in these pics because there were too many stairs to climb down to them.  We heard the water rushing though.  (I am so out of shape!)

(Link to PicasaWeb)

Neon is back!

Raise your hand if you thought you had seen the last of neon when the 80's ended? Well, I sure did!

Neon is everywhere in Sydney, and I suppose it makes sense if you start to look at why it's used so much.  Sydney is a very labor intensive, manufacturing/industrial city.  So, there are a number of factories and warehouses.  The neon goes to good use there.  All the workers are required to wear neon green, yellow, or orange shirts, vests, fleeces, jackets for safety reasons.  Many of the city workers do the same, from rubbish collectors to street cleaners to motorway workers.  You certainly can't miss them.  It's sort of funny though because you wander into the local sandwich shop at lunch, and you have no idea who is who.  There is only a sea of neon before you.