Australia Travel Journal

[ai4i]

We all know that Aus is often pronounced Oz, but did you know that Sydney is sometimes called The Emerald City? Read this or listen here from those fine folks at Radio National. The ABC networks air some pretty interesting stuff.

<small>[ 07-26-2005, 03:45 AM: Message edited by: ai4i ]</small>

[annettehala]

Did you ever find anything of interest from the convict days of early OZ?

We went to the Barracks Museum in Sydney and read all about them. We like history so it was interesting.

[dai bread]

Originally posted by annettehala:

...We went to the Barracks Museum in Sydney and read all about them. We like history so it was interesting.

Try "The Fatal Shore" by Robert Hughes. It deals with the history of convicts in Australia, and does it very well.

Amazon has it for $12.24, presumably USD, plus freight.

[annettehala]

Friday, May 20
We ate breakfast at the B&B. April and my mom tried the Vegemite. Then we went looking for a post office to mail post cards. It is a tiny town and we asked at a gas station but they didn’t give us good directions. We drove around and then we saw a post office so we parked and my mom and I walked to it. It was the old post office and closed. We met a guy out front who gave us more directions to the real post office and we had to walk around some more and ask a couple more people. I hate asking people on the street directions because we don’t have the right accent. We continued on the tourist highway and stopped at a few places. I can’t remember the name of the city at the end. We ate at KFC for dinner.

Govetts Leap Waterfall
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDhAr8TJJit58hOy1BIEvDQfy8LS6OZJWZoN!sXd!EEtt4Zr2q5vnT8r157JxXLaBkox234N5lgIVStQnBr5CAZYsOIaX4aSfb6nXKLYgw/DSCN1553Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914796278422" alt=" - " />

<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDhAsQTT5mt58hOy1BIElzgk8uHaX7!angWdHtrgRIEfOaX2TRj9Fyjr2PRBKTho4o9R*ut!vm9DpGzY*DD*6J30yXEdsmFNtGUie0haDM/DSCN1549Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914791783023" alt=" - " />

[dai bread]

Did you survive the Vegemite?

[annettehala]

My sister says no. It actually tastes the way fermenting soy sauce smells.

[annettehala]

Saturday, May 21
We got up and went to the Koala Park Sanctuary. We saw a big wombat, a sheep shearing and working dog, koalas, and kangaroos. From there we drove into Sydney, found parking near the Circular Quay, ate lunch, and bought some last minute souvenirs. The restaurant had a view of the harbor bridge and the ferries going out. From there we drove to Mrs. Macquarie’s point at sunset. There were five wedding parties there and a news crew filming a story. The sunset was spectacular. It was so beautiful out there I wanted it to last forever. We finally had to go because our parking meter was running out. We drove to our hotel outside Sydney. There wasn’t anything nearby, so we ended up eating a measly dinner in the bar/casino. We watched Ocean’s 12 on the in-house movies.

White Chickens
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQD4d8QTUZmt58hOy1BIEuad93NVEyKEh!VlT7V6s2upM8HDTSiH0H7HoNHM0iDwQDt0LKf98TlJzJJtpwz1MTCLcreimX9wfY76NQ48a9o/DSCN1567Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914808208887" alt=" - " />

Sheep Shearing
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDZAsATY5it58hOy1BIEk*dRuQ5uvwHzLgnwsvQVnT!xm6lzm!tLAKAKUOOt6G3MYJgxetckzzfmaEAjuhe7q43KGACSlhy2KbGOYi5H3k/DSCN1581Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914811862790" alt=" - " />

<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDjAscTB5qt58hOy1BIErx*6RrE3VAIfZp!4wXy0TULpUztGcgoHaZtcuHt6fE4p073!HL1BouiSA9Ny71zeOqGC8JGrRUwDxwPXntVSTU/DSCN1588Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914815569188" alt=" - " />

<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDfAsQTVJmt58hOy1BIEmVq9G4Rx4GQV9fcw61stgR25yPEyG*b4hPe9hp!L0DxvqJH7GXEbFnMwoMNKzCFNrc7XUECkBEZUhnI6iFTBGI/DSCN1594Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914820489312" alt=" - " />

<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDjAr8TIZilKSzUrgsL2RF8SB2oSRUEaznpiMj0LOmup7466yO6HXmQHpIkpb6w8wrpKipzZ0Ws*h6jQ9JbW4Oa!F7WNA9jkR8srVPvV1g/DSCN1607Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914824938580" alt=" - " />

Driving across the Harbor Bridge into Sydney
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDfAsIT1pilKSzUrgsL2V9KFt2*YnLUj2NAhsxvMYV*TY0RSHcfPM703RdGV9AhiXVcSeE435hboS2iU5xjBR5fs1AXyf5V8ZR0K0L*Ck8/DSCN1619Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914828840637" alt=" - " />

[annettehala]

(pictures continued)

Mrs Macquaries Point
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDjAsATX5ilKSzUrgsL2VVx7GLKhjNRtakOjT8dKNtfZf8LM4PzCAx5ujVheRYqtthXdb9veiSRtyveV5OtsF2MYNgOi2Y2YFHULZ6oTV8/DSCN1626Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914840845866" alt=" - " />

Wedding Party
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDfAr4T55elKSzUrgsL2RiDA0l84rK0wjO4fSHuZpf1pmiIMwsOtH2fulepykP1PJFnqG!NHC723ENOyT7kopr0kT2K8DhqXRpsi4izDCg/DSCN1624Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914834605437" alt=" - " />
I had to take a picture of the car for my dad.

<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDZAsIT15ilKSzUrgsL2SXo*RaL6ejBgS4LqQUQzsuYe6e13DH6fJggBM*ZklpTyNZItLJb7hBBnhpTZviAF1VuyFXuWrpBwCDp986GFi0/DSCN1628Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914845570330" alt=" - " />

<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDhAsYTypmlKSzUrgsL2bfRc6ZVQOa!4iDcPUgkc0azuZPs!q1h6tvHykiM4jlDJbO9YTbA4wvPnpyS6QneX78MH95vuklO63P90FGspRs/DSCN1659Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914860480229" alt=" - " />

<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDhAr8TKJilKSzUrgsL2f2NxfDlPfYvVQrXBtVDRGWzNF8fZ3NIeQ9GcI*CsTJNGrO8ufs3UT6qQ!JOuhaj3PzfHA6kHdtlNM!rJapMYzM/DSCN1670Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914952249364" alt=" - " />

[annettehala]

Okay, enough of other people's weddings. One of my friends suggested I become a wedding photographer. All of these people were out there to get the following backdrop in their wedding photos.

<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQAAAMIT2JilKSzUrgsL2bbx4xMM!RoDlbPqqoan!8Dmf5Y9JOq9iSnBjy1oIqzip6L8asgzcOYZFQKlpdUG0!m5QHeBwJvPDTMtJE4Cmg4/DSCN1637Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914850465002" alt=" - " />

We decided that was a pretty good idea.
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDhAsUTjpmlKSzUrgsL2ZOK*BAKGswzemYEkcBGN5L2qLoLRmFZhMeDoVh88OPJMasNaODc7ng3BoaIf4SV9bOxDu6mJdtbzuGwobkeZ9A/DSCN1658Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914855262639" alt=" - " />

Sydney
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0QwDfAhITvmulKSzUrgsL2SIEYiHkAwC5X88corOW4yIRyzR4IFlpx10mGIRF4ZbG16INfplqweiPBR8hCxDuWdnAT19*uVGByT5Yexe9l3E/DSCN1669.jpg?dc=4675531914947997346" alt=" - " />

The sun got lower and lower.
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQAAAMYTzJmlKSzUrgsL2X*Rb1Soiv6xg3RMdlE5tWjTA6crJcNra83ysK57CSiOOVbpgxUXoww!CPdDJkLluuJm!5GmFiW1Bt8BDkCOSp4/DSCN1677Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914956598416" alt=" - " />

<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDhAsMTF5mlKSzUrgsL2W1fywV!l1p6w8s2Jc9Fxlrx6WnDVz26JWAS!wC0Q!FVXx33Vu5QVxG6IEvJtyTMUpUgXdazel09mFGgNH3tR0I/DSCN1665Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914939773279" alt=" - " />

<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0QwDfAg8TEGulKSzUrgsL2U2FXQ5woAz4aQrZfYV1sTEZNWfBrosus31RaIwNpu83LwR2f03P*9bM4Bl2bIR2aYQZsxL*24fKBx7RytHC1V0/DSCN1666.jpg?dc=4675531914943824865" alt=" - " />

[dai bread]

You definitely need a career in photography, Annette. These pics are great!

[DavidS]

Originally posted by dai bread:
You definitely need a career in photography, Annette. These pics are great!

db - you took the words out of my mouth!
Good on you, Annette!

<small>[ 07-29-2005, 01:13 AM: Message edited by: DavidS ]</small>

[BigJon@Work]

[quote]Originally posted by annettehala:
[b]

Did they stink? Koalas are reputed to have a pungent odor.

BigJon

[annettehala]

Yes, they did smell a bit. Not as bad as the flying foxes though.

[annettehala]

Sunday, May 22
We went to the Olympic park and went in the Aquatics center. After that we ate lunch in the international plaza and saw the outside of the other venues. The national gymnastics competition was being held at the time, so there were gymnasts running all over the place. We went shopping at the mall near our hotel, but they closed at 4:00! We didn’t have time to buy a single thing. We had dinner at a pizza place and then on the way back we stopped at a Krispy Krème place. We had never been to one before. The parking lot turned out to be a gang hangout so we made it a quick stop. There was a language problem with the clerk and somehow we ended up with a dozen donuts! We ate 8 donuts when we got back to the room while we watched the second to the last episode of My Restaurant Rules. We saved 4 donuts for breakfast.

The Fastest Pool in the World
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQAAALsTFZmlKSzUrgsL2XGYyl6lllcuioDf351YHwwkDOFC0NXSPD*b!ZhzVXXsVGZcQbJx841n!qHb!mA5F3cEuoONX1pVoPAOTD7oa98/DSCN1679Cr.jpg?dc=4675531914962461842" alt=" - " />

<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQAAALMTNpelKSzUrgsL2bOufLlmbw6BRjVN9xSchdpYgwlZq!eOzkO34UGI8RcTYN2hHBmLyoLpklqR!NuHvQ5JcUVlSdgJ1JyMqWfbkBI/DSCN1680Cr.jpg?dc=4675531915107865573" alt=" - " />

The Best Seats in the House
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQAAALoT2pilKSzUrgsL2Uc6sjNBtOmEOmbeLtVwH6HcSZ95dxXBCdI1OqjwKF0XeEup!HY8J4qceIWr5Wk7J10*P2orgVimemAWL0IjGkM/DSCN1687Cr.jpg?dc=4675531915112165313" alt=" - " />

<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDZArYT65elKSzUrgsL2d9i0v1pbm8BO0rcE8lpV9QuJzAICRjhbg9YxUPLAWBaRG*5hcz19K5*5xOQ4mKiWXM92Xgr!K8An1xCWpXop1Y/DSCN1692Cr.jpg?dc=4675531915117611968" alt=" - " />

Formerly the Flame, Now a Fountain
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDjArcTJ5ilKSzUrgsL2fLNHX0sTHCYsElyhs1oci8HMUfpmWp16RE*!qycjSaVN8XQC05rT3Mw0fHwyhzOsqf7AjAlmGLeCOTLUrFQGkA/DSCN1693Cr.jpg?dc=4675531915122479597" alt=" - " />

[annettehala]

Monday, May 23 Our last day in Australia
We had looked up shopping places in the phone book the night before, so we had our route all planned out. We went to a scrap booking store first. We spent about 1:30 in there, but it was a very small shop and we didn’t get everything we wanted because we were still going to more stores. We went to a mall that had a Spotlight, K-mart, and Target. We spent too much time and money in there and then we headed off to another scrap booking store. When we found it at 4:00 and it was closed. The sign on the door said, “Gone to the Gold Coast scrapbooking convention.” That was disappointing. Since it was 4:00 we had to be done shopping. We kind of had a desperate, “we’re out of time” feeling. I think we always get that feeling when we are leaving a country for an indefinite period of time. You want to take everything with you. We decided to drive into the city one last time and have dinner at Darling Harbor. It was one month from the first time we had eaten there and the moon was full once again. We had dinner in a very nice Italian place on the second floor of the dockside complex. We were the only people in there at first and there was candle light and the Sydney skyline with a full moon rising over it. We shopped in the souvenir stores there because they didn’t close until 9:00! The two prints we bought are still sitting here next to the computer, unframed. We went back to the hotel and packed until late. I think it was near 11:00 and we had to get up at 4:00. I didn’t sleep well because I kept hearing the semi trucks on the road outside our room. In the morning I discovered that the maids had opened the window! It was behind the curtain so I didn’t realize. That would also explain why it was so cold.

Driving into Sydney
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDnAq0TyJV16py*9RQ0r*!kc7JElUqPJwMBxN9Js0Kstrsh7vAEjv892U!C*3UjjJ8MyQhIa881qyWJi!9yd1VttybsEZBkT8OhU*w*5U8/DSCN1701Cr.jpg?dc=4675531915126583677" alt=" - " />

Darling Harbor
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RQDfAq8TQJZ16py*9RQ0r7xLx6l5W84OlAbsOm*a2LmRuZkNkGBn7NGGbIz!qrA7!hkJSmKIxVmYn0LVAGFVjsJMOChmtOFe3AATwnVdGCM/DSCN1703Cr.jpg?dc=4675531915130983633" alt=" - " />

Full Moon
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0PQDjAm4R6wO5ov09mghQF*2SwTXb!hXjYhw4O!8p083*BE!QOadXgCz3SNNN4iP8jdq2nk2p19jFmoy5WZnnH5VEPzajfhOV/43.jpg?dc=4675525313105795061" alt=" - " />

[annettehala]

Well if anybody is still reading, we've come to the end of this journal. Below are the final two entries documenting our flights home. I've enjoyed sharing our trip with you. Trips are more fun when you have people to share your adventures with. As it was, most of our friends moved away while we were gone or right after we got back so it's good to have somebody to tell.

Thank You All,
Annette


Tuesday, May 24
We got up at the decided time and had an hour to spare. We left the airport and flew the ten hours to Korea. We watched “Finding Neverland,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Spanglish,” and “In Good Company.” I began feeling sick during “Phantom of the Opera,” and the flight started to take on nightmarish qualities. I don’t think that particular movie helped. The flight actually flew directly over our home on the way and if I had had a parachute I think I could have jumped out then. I was tired, dying to see my home and baby , and not looking forward to spending the night in Korea. At Incheon airport we ate Mc D’s, and then took the van to our hotel. I could write a lot about the hotel. The clash of Oriental and Occidental thought is worthy of an essay. Keep in mind that I have always lived on the fence between the two, but Incheon airport and its surrounds are amazing in their own way.

Wednesday, May 25
After very little sleep, we took the free van back to the airport, stored our bags, ate at Mc D’s and then caught the bus into Soul. I left out at the beginning of my journal that we had a 10 hour layover on the way to Australia, so we had taken the bus into the city to scout out the shopping. The bus ride is 1:15. We went to the fabric market and spent a couple of hours getting lost in there but also getting great bargains. We made it back to the airport in what we thought was plenty of time. We got our bags, put our purchases in them, and then checked them. Then we went to Mc D’s for dinner. We had less than an hour when we went through security. My bag got picked out and they wanted to know if I had anything prohibited in it. I said I didn’t think so, after all this was our 9th flight in a month. I took my bath bags out and they put it through again. There was still something in it. Then she reached in and pulled out my dangerous items bag. It was supposed to be in my checked luggage! We take all our dangerous items and put them in that bag. It was too late. She opened it and took our good hair cutting scissors away. Amazingly she left all the other dangerous items in the bag! Then we had to go through the departing immigration or something. The line was long and we started counting people and the time and we were going to miss our flight! We found a shorter line and a nice man let us cut in front. We only had about 15 minutes at the gate before we left. It was a one hour flight home and then a 1:30 hour drive home. It was the longest 2:30 hours too.

<small>[ 08-02-2005, 01:37 AM: Message edited by: annettehala ]</small>

[Shapley]

Annette,

I've enjoyed the journal very much. I'm a little behind in reading all the entries, but I'll finish them soon.

The photos are outstanding!

V/R
Shapley

[tan]

congratiolatons! great job! a travel journal like thisis so hard to keep up!! great work! thanksfor sharing, time, effort and lovely pics1

[BigJon@Work]

Like a book I couldn't put down.

BigJon

[ai4i]

The presentation was inspiring; you put a lot into it. Stop traveling to all these exotic places and eating at those disgusting McAmerican greasy plastic spoons.

I stole this from another board:
This English bloke arrives at Sydney airport on holiday. As he passes through security, the customs officer is asking him a few questions:
"OK, just one more question Mr Smith - do you have a criminal record?" The Englishman thinks and replies: "Gosh, well... er, no... I didn't realise it was still required."

BTW...don't forget to check out MobaHO! when you get home. You can actually drive around Japan while listening to more than a dozen American FM radio stations in digital stereo (plus Japanese and South Korean stations).

<small>[ 08-03-2005, 12:27 PM: Message edited by: ai4i ]</small>